Hornets draft Big East Freshman of the Year with 29th pick

The Hornets, using the No. 29 pick that they agreed to acquire from the Suns in their Mark Williams trade earlier on Wednesday evening, have drafted UConn’s Liam McNeeley.

McNeeley, 19, averaged 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 32.1 minutes per game for UConn in 27 outings (26 starts) as a freshman. He posted an underwhelming shooting line of .381/.317/.866, but was still named the Big East’s Freshman of the Year and claimed a spot on the All-Big East third team.

According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, McNeeley’s shooting numbers sell him short and should improve going forward — the 6-foot-7 wing struggled in part because the Huskies played without a point guard, Givony explains.

McNeeley also struggled due to an ankle injury in January that sidelined him for a month. Prior to the injury, the 6-foot-7 wing shot .429/.379/.850 on 4.7 three-point attempts per game. Now fully healthy, he will look to prove himself as a shoote4r in the Hornets’ rotation.

After selecting Kon Knueppel with the fourth pick, the Hornets have added a plethora of wing shooting with their two picks to add alongside Brandon Miller.

McNeeley was the final green room invitee on the board, which means that, unlike in the 2024 draft, no invitees will be forced to wait until day two. He’s also the fourth member of his Montverde Academy team to be drafted tonight, following Cooper Flagg, Derik Queen, and Asa Newell.