All of the attention this summer will be on each of the Charlotte Hornets' four draft picks, and rightfully so. This is widely viewed as Charlotte's best draft haul in quite some time, and here in a couple of weeks, we'll get to see Kon Knueppel, Liam McNeeley, Sion James, and Ryan Kalkbrenner in action.
The Summer League is also an opportunity for overlooked players to make a name for themselves. Shortly after the draft, the team agreed on Summer League deals with former Kansas guard Dajuan Harris and former Creighton guard Jamiya Neal.
Harris is on the smaller side, checking in at 6'1", 160 lbs, but he plays big on defense. He was a three-time Big 12 All-Defense selection and was the league's Defensive Player of the Year in 2022-23. In 173 career games, he averaged 6.9 points, five assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 44% from the field and 37% from three.
Neal is a long, lanky wing who can also play the two. After three years at Arizona State, he transferred to Creighton, where he became teammates with Hornets' second-round pick, Ryan Kalkbrenner. In 36 games with the Blue Jays, Neal posted 12 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per night, shooting 44% from the floor and 31% from range.
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