The Charlotte Hornets have already flown out to Sacramento to begin Summer League minicamp, and with that, we have an official roster.
No surprises here apart from the new players that had yet to be announced. Brandon Miller being on the roster might raise some eyebrows, but according to Charlotte’s press release he will only be participating in the Las Vegas summer league, and even then, I’d be shocked if he plays more than a dozen minutes in the opener before being shut down.
Hornets PR published a release yesterday detailing the injury situations for Salaün and KJ Simpson. Salaün will miss the California Classic and Simpson will be out for all of Summer League due to a hamstring injury suffered during the pre-draft process. It’s always nice to see the new picks right away, but missing Summer League isn’t the end of the world either.
Here’s a one-sentence breakdown of each player on the Summer Hornets:
- James Banks III: Spent last season on the Maine Celtics playing for then-head coach and now-Hornets assistant Blaine Mueller.
- RaeQuan Battle: 20-point-per-game scorer at West Virginia last season.
- Leaky Black: Undrafted in 2023 and played his rookie season on a Two-Way with Charlotte, making 26 appearances (three starts).
- Pedro Bradshaw: Multi-year G League veteran, played for the Indiana Mad Ants last season.
- Kevin Cross Jr.: Undrafted rookie out of Tulane.
- Marcus Garrett: Acquired mid-season by Greensboro last year and was a starter for the Swarm.
- Mouhamadou Gueye: Waived off a Two-Way contract by the Toronto Raptors late last month.
- Malik Hall: Undrafted rookie out of Michigan State.
- Caleb McConnell: Undrafted in 2023 and spent his rookie season with the OKC Blue.
- Bryce McGowens: Third Summer League appearance for the 2022 second-round pick.
- Brandon Miller: Pretty decent young player.
- Matt Morgan: 26-year-old Cornell product that most recently played for the London Lions in the British Basketball League.
- Drew Pember: Undrafted rookie, top-100 player on the At The Hive big board, alumnus of nearby UNC Asheville that began his college career at Tennessee.
- Charles Pride: Top-100 player on the At The Hive big board, undrafted fifth-year senior out of St. Bonaventure.
- Tidjane Salaün: Sixth overall pick in the 2023 draft that will not play in California due to a knee laceration.
- Zavier Simpson: Multi-year G League veteran that has made NBA appearances for the Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder.
- Brandon Slater: Undrafted in 2023, spent his rookie season playing for coach Mueller and the Maine Celtics alongside Banks III.
- Nick Smith Jr.: First-round pick in 2023 that made 51 appearances with the Hornets as a rookie.
- Jake Stephens: Undrafted in 2023, played for the Capital City Go-Go as a rookie.
Charlotte’s first Summer League game tips off in just four days–July 6 at 8:30 PM EST at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. Hornets basketball will be back before we know it.
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