It has been 87 days since the Charlotte Hornets walked off the floor to end their 2024-25 campaign. Following game 82 of the season, they shuffled off the parquet floor in Boston having lost 14 of their last 16 games to close the season, bringing an end to the slog that was last spring.
Fast forward three months, and a wave of optimism has washed over the franchise as Las Vegas Summer League approaches. Long gone are the doldrums of a regular season that was tarnished by injuries, and here is the dawn of a new era spearheaded by a lauded class of rookies and some pivotal second-year players.
Part of that rookie class, 29th overall pick Liam McNeeley, enters Vegas with a bit of a chip on his shoulder.
A former top-ten high school recruit in the country, McNeeley suffered through a disappointing freshman campaign at the University of Connecticut in which he battled through a high ankle sprain and played out of position.
McNeeley said this at his introductory press conference in Charlotte when he was asked about impacting the game by being more than just a shooter: "At UConn I had to do a lot more than I expected. I had the ball in my hands, and I was forced to create for myself and others, so that got me outside of my comfort zone. That forces you to get better and I got comfortable towards the end, so I'm looking forward to it."
For McNeeley, his role in Vegas should be threefold:
1. Knock down open shots.
2. Keep the ball moving as a connector.
3. Impact the game on defense and on the glass.
Excelling in those three facets of the game is what made McNeeley such a highly touted recruit coming out of Montverde Academy. Here are a few snippets from his high school recruiting profile from 247 Sports' Adam Finkelstein:
"He came up the ranks known as a shooter – and for good reason as he has clean mechanics, a compact release, and shot over 40% from behind the three-point line in both the NIBC and EYBL seasons – but he’s far more versatile than just a specialist."
"McNeeley has a high natural feel for the game and is a good passer who can also facilitate for others around him."
"Physically, he’s not especially long or athletic, but he has legit size at over 6-foot-7 with his shoes on, a sturdy base, and increasingly strong and cut upper body. He’s made strides being able to stay in front of more athletic wings on the defensive end, in large part because he’s aware enough to be in the right spots and take the right angles."
Those three blurbs from Finkelstein describe the type of player Charlotte drafted at number 29 overall.
The Hornets don't need McNeeley to act as a high-usage offensive engine like UConn did. Even on their Summer League roster, Charlotte has multiple primary offensive initiators that will set McNeeley up in his spots, allowing the first-year wing to thrive in a role that he is comfortable in.
If McNeeley shows some playmaking juice off the bounce? Great. Every NBA team is looking for playmaking wings, and a leap in that department would cause discussions about McNeeley's ceiling as an NBA player to change.
However, simplifying the game for McNeeley and letting him get back to his roots as a floor-spacing connector will be the best thing for him as he attempts to carve out a role early on in his NBA career, and that process starts in Vegas.
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