McNeeley has an opportunity to change the culture in Charlotte and a chance at significant minutes in year one.
Liam McNeeley said all the right things about slipping to pick No. 29 in the NBA Draft last night. The Big East Freshman of the Year seemed to genuinely enjoy watching his high school teammates get drafted and seemed more relieved than anything that he stayed in the first round. As all the draftniks pointed out, that spoke volumes about his character.
On the internet, meanwhile, Husky nation collectively melted down as the Charlotte Hornets nabbed their ninth UConn prospect. From earliest to latest, the list goes: Scott Burrell, Jake Voskuhl, Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, Jeff Adrien, Kemba Walker, Jeremy Lamb and James Bouknight.
Usually when a player projected in the lottery slips, intel leaks about why. For McNeeley, there didn’t seem to be a specific catalyst, though Adam Finklestein’s mention of battling illness was eyebrow-raising.
As picks came and went, seeing the Boston Celtics pass on McNeeley — for a seemingly rawer version of him in Hugo Gonzalez— only fueled fans’ anxiety. To have McNeeley slip, and then end up in Charlotte of all places, was insult to injury.
The Hornets have stunk for forever. They haven’t finished better than sixth in the Eastern Conference since 2015-2016. They haven’t won a playoff series since they were the Bobcats in 2001-2002. Yet they continue to scoop up Huskies! Okafor and Kemba toiled as franchise cornerstones during the bleak Michael Jordan ownership years, where it was clear the O in GOAT did not stand for ‘owner.’
In addition to being a terrible basketball franchise, the LaMelo Ball show, Miles Bridges being employed, and the team’s overall ignorance of character issues added to the stink down in Charlotte. UConn fans got a glimpse of it with James Bouknight, uber talented but in need of some structure. Heading to Charlotte was a major detriment to his development, and now he’s toiling in the G-League.
The Hornets have tried to turn over a new leaf since Michael Jordan sold the team to Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall in 2023. This was billed as a chance to get some adults in the room, and clean up the culture permeating the (fake) Queen City. Fast forward two years, though, and Ball’s behavior is still rough. Google Miles Bridges if you’re not familiar with his…exploits. A 10-63 season last year was beset by injuries, trading out veterans and overall lousiness.
Two things can be true at the same time; the Hornets have been an awful destination, and yet there are signs the ship may be turning around. Head coach Charles Lee is a well-respected name in the NBA ranks. There’s star power in Ball if his efficiency and availability increase. Between Ball and the promising Brandon Miller, the two played a combined 74 games last year.
Looking at the rest of the roster, the Wlliams deal brought the serviceable Jusuf Nurkic to Charlotte to shore up the frontcourt. A starting lineup of Ball, Miller, Bridges, top five pick Kon Knueppel, and Nurkic isn’t terrible in the watered-down, injury-ridden Eastern Conference. Seth Curry, Tre Mann and Nick Smith Jr. are backcourt depth pieces, while Vasilije Micic is a nice prospect. You can see the vision, if Ball ascends to superstardom. For McNeeley, the competition for minutes at the wing will come down to Josh Green, Tidjane Salaun and Grant Williams. Nice players, but no massive roadblocks to playing time.
Knueppel and McNeeley, as The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie eloquently put it, are “just fucking winners” that could bring some professionalism to Charlotte. It’s not a coincidence the Hornets took the two best glue guys in the draft. All it takes is a few charismatic leaders to turn around a locker room, and all of a sudden the troublesome Hornets can be the young, exciting, run-and-gun Hornets. McNeeley has a real chance to be a part of that revival.
Beyond intangibles, with their first two picks the Hornets placed a clear emphasis on shooting to fix the spacing issues around Ball and Miller. Charlotte was the third-worst 3-point shooting team in the NBA last year. With McNeeley healthy and less onus on him to be the primary creator, he can settle into his natural role as a connective piece that is in the right spots, makes sound decisions, and knocks down open looks. There will always be a need for that in a 6-foot-7 frame in the NBA.