The Charlotte Hornets' five preseason games have been revealed in October. Meaning that we're about two months away from seeing this young team take the floor. After adding a couple of new pieces through the draft and offseason transactions, there is more optimism with the new regime in the front office and coaching staff. Jeff Peterson and Charles Lee have been busy since taking their positions. The players should be as well of course. Here are a few things to watch in the preseason outings, especially with young Hornets like Nick Smith Jr. and Mark Williams.
Nick Smith Jr
Outside of Brandon Miller, Nick Smith Jr. is going to be the other second-year player for the Hornets expected to take a leap. He played in 51 games and averaged 5.9 points per game in the 2023-24 season. In spurts, he provided a nice scoring punch off the bench when he was included in the regular rotation. He was able to create for himself and shot 43% from three-point range in his rookie season.
The ability to break down defenses and get into the paint is there. If he plays well in limited spurts in the preseason, a sixth-man role could be his in the regular season.
Tidjane Salaun
The Hornets selected Tidjane Salaun with the 6th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. In Summer League, he showed his versatility a bit. Runs the floor and has the defensive potential to maybe guard multiple positions. His athleticism stands out more than anything along with his 6-foot-10 frame. The outside shot is still a work in progress, but between the play in Vegas and his first preseason game, we could see more promise.
Playing with better talent around him will help younger guys grow. So getting a few minutes with LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and others could unlock different layers to his game. Salaun could likely see some time in the G-League with Greensboro to get more opportunities. Still, preseason will help his game grow before the season gets into full swing.
Mark Williams
Both Mark Williams and LaMelo Ball played in minimal games in the 2023-24 season Ball appeared in 22 and Williams in 19 of his own. At least with Ball, we were able to see him warm up before games throughout the course of the season. Can't say the same about Williams having to sit out with a nagging lower back issue and hasn't played a game since December. So getting a chance to see how mobile he is will be the most important thing to watch for.
Williams is still an important piece of this young core moving forward. Having a center that can patrol the paint defensively and score around the rim is still important. Williams did that fairly well in his rookie season after shooting 63% from the field. Unfortunately, he's only appeared in 62 games in two seasons. Hopefully, he can stay healthy for year number three.
The preseason should be a good way for returning players to get acclimated to the new system of whatever Charles Lee is cooking up. As a first-year head coach, it will be interesting to see how much he plays Ball, Miller, and some of the other guys we expect to start. Those other new additions will be the guys who are gunning for rotations spots and will likely see the floor more.
Should be an interesting round of preseason games. Charlotte's first two games are at Spectrum Center against the New York Knicks and Miami Heat. Then they're on the road for the rest of them to take on the Knicks, the Grizzlies in Memphis, and the Pacers in Indiana.
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