Mar 23, 2025; Raleigh, NC, USA; Connecticut Huskies forward Liam McNeeley (30) drives to the basket during the second half against Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Projecting Hornets rookie Liam McNeeley's stat profile and ceiling

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Ryan Stano | Last updated Sep 20, 2025 11:16 AM ET

The Charlotte Hornets are ecstatic about the rookies they brought in during this draft class. Of course, Kon Knueppel is the one that everyone is talking about after his fantastic Summer League performance.

Liam McNeeley is still worthy of some excitement. Charlotte took a chance on him with the 29th pick in the Draft. Getting taken that late gives McNeeley a chance to sneak up on opponents.

While McNeeley won't be in the mix for a starting spot like Knueppel is, McNeeley is still someone that the Hornets believe can contribute over the next few years.

Hornets forward Liam McNeeley has the potential to be a double-digit scorer

As a rookie, McNeeley won't have the chance to play a lot of rotational minutes, but he's going to get enough to develop. He might end up being a guy who comes off the bench and grabs four or five rebounds per game.

Eventually, he might be able to develop his offensive game to the point that he's a double-digit scorer in a couple of years. He was not an efficient scorer in his one year at UConn, so that needs some work.

McNeeley has shown flashes of being an adept playmaker, even showing off some nice passes during his lone season in college. As a rookie, that could help the Hornets.

The best-case scenario for the Hornets is that McNeeley develops into a player who closely resembles Keldon Johnson. That's a similar profile of what he can turn into.

The Hornets don't need Liam McNeeley to contribute right away

Perhaps the best thing for McNeeley is that he won't have pressure on him to perform right away. He will be able to come off the bench and play through his mistakes.

Charlotte has some playoff aspirations this year. They believe they can qualify for the play-in, so that might have an impact on McNeeley's playing time, especially late in the season.

In his lone season with the UConn Huskies, the former five-star recruit averaged 14.5 points, six rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. He shot 38.1 percent from the field and 31.7 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.