What is Antonio Reeves' role in his first year with the Hornets? Does he have one?

The Charlotte Hornets lack of guard depth is something that has hurt them throughout the first five years with LaMelo Ball. Last season, Ball played in less than 50 games for the third straight season, leading Smith, Seth Curry, and two-way players KJ Simpson and Damion Baugh to take up the guard minutes.

It was a clear priority for President of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson to find guard depth this offseason in case Ball gets hurt again. He traded Jusuf Nurkic to the Utah Jazz for Collin Sexton, drafted Sion James, re-signed Tre Mann (who missed nearly all of last season with a back injury), signed Spencer Dinwiddie to a standard NBA deal, and brought in Antonio Reeves on a two-way deal.

Headed into September, the franchise had 17 players under contract. It's required to have 15 players on an NBA roster, so, Peterson needed to cut or trade two players.

He did so, waiving two guards in Spencer Dinwiddie and Nick Smith Jr.

Throughout preseason, the roles were clear for the team. At all times, one of Ball, Mann, or Sexton would be the lead ball-handler on the court, and in emergency situations KJ Simpson would see the ball.

Simpson had a strong performance en route to the Hornets Summer League championship victory, and has proven to be a great find in the NBA Draft from Jeff Peterson. The team selected him 42nd overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, and it's looking likely that we see him converted to a standard NBA deal at some point over the next year.

Peterson now has a proven track record with two-way additions. Just last year he also added Moussa Diabate, who received a standard 3-year deal in February, and is on track to be the Hornets' starting center when Wednesday rolls around.

Of the two new two-way additions, only one played in less than three games: Antonio Reeves.

The Hornets signed Reeves in mid-July after he was cut earlier in the offseason by the New Orleans Pelicans. In his rookie year with the Pelicans, Reeves averaged 6.9 points on 45.6% from the field and 39.5% from three across 44 games.

Reeves spent two years at the University of Kentucky before being selected 47th overall in last year's NBA Draft. It was a questionable move from the Pelicans cutting Reeves after just one year; however, the team added several young guards in the offseason, likely leading to the team prioritizing them over playing time for Reeves.

There is a clear pathway to minutes for Reeves in Charlotte. Ball has played in fewer than 50 games for three straight years, and Tre Mann was out all of last season and may need to be load-managed. It leads the Hornets guard rotation to consist of Collin Sexton, KJ Simpson, and Reeves.

Reeves shooting is what draws attention to him. He shot 39% from deep, hitting 51 of his 129 attempts over 44 games.