How LiAngelo Ball and the rest of the Hornets’ rookies looked in their first game
During the Hornets’ first Summer League game here, the gym was nearly full. And soon it started to become clear who fans were here to see.
About five minutes in, the crowd began to yell, “We want Gelo!” short for LiAngelo Ball, the older brother of Hornets star LaMelo Ball. When he finally entered the game in the second quarter, they cheered. And when he was subbed out with 3:33 left in the game, the fans booed.
In his first game of competitive basketball in two years, LiAngelo Ball scored 16 points, knocking down five 3-pointers in limited action. LaMelo sat baseline, and so did Miles Bridges, general manager Mitch Kupchak and coach James Borrego
The Hornets lost to the Blazers, though, 93-86.
Here are some observations the Hornets first game:
LiAngelo doesn’t lack confidence
Ball didn’t lack for confidence. When he was open Sunday night, he definitely let it fly.
Ball finished shooting 5-of-10 from the field, all four of his makes coming from 3. He finished 5-for-8 from behind the 3-point line, and had two assists, two rebounds and two steals in 16 minutes. He hit a 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter while also being fouled.
“I got enough confidence in my shot,” Ball said. “I practice those shots, so it’s not like I’m rushing it or anything. It’s just like practice.”
The fact that he hasn’t played much competitive basketball in a couple of years did show. At times, he looked lost on defense. He didn’t handle the ball much or drive.
It was a pretty good performance, but he has a long way to go before making an NBA roster.
“For him to come out, I’m thrilled,” Hornets coach Dutch Gaitley said. “Anybody can have one game, let’s see, ‘hey, can you do it again?’ Because now he just put himself on the scouting report. They have three Kings coaches watching. Now they are saying, ‘don’t let this guy shoot.’ Now how is he going to be able to find his shots and...not forcing it and making plays for other guys.”
Bouknight is the Hornets’ best rookie, but shooting woes are a thing
The scouting report on Bouknight was that he’s a scorer, he’s highly athletic and has good vision. But he also struggles from 3.
All of those things were true. Bouknight got to the basket at will, and showed off his step back move. He scored a team-high 19 points on Sunday. He’s crafty and is also good through contact.
But the one thing missing from his game is a long range jump shot.
He was 1-for-3 from 3-point range Sunday, but the two misses he had didn’t look like confident shots. That’ll be one thing he’ll have to continue to work on.
When asked about it, Bouknight smiled.
“I think it’s a question mark. A lot of people say I can’t shoot 3’s,” Bouknight said. “But it’s something I’ve been working on. It’s something I think will translate, so I’m not worried about it.”
Bouknight also had a tendency to slow down, take it to halfcourt and drain the shot clock before making his move to the basket. Gaitley said he wants Bouknight to play little faster.
“He’s used to playing with the ball in his hands, and in the NBA, it happens like that, and these athletes you can’t dance with it,” Gaitley said. “You have to make quick decisions.”
“I thought there were some great opportunities that he did that, and that’s how we were able to get down hill for some lobs and some kick outs, but I think that’s the main thing. Making quicker decisions.”
Kai Jones is exciting
Jones also had a big game for the Hornets, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds. He was 4-of-9 from the floor. But he had some pretty exciting plays, like when he dunked on Portland’s Kenneth Faried in the fourth quarter.
That play will definitely make SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays.
He was active on the boards.
One of his weaknesses is his strength, though. A couple of times he let the ball get taken out of his hands, and wasn’t great through contact in the post.
But he played hard, and that shouldn’t go unnoticed. The biggest surprise was perhaps his ability to push the ball up court. He’s not quite a point-forward, but he’s easily a stretch four.
Jones may be more of a power forward than a center. He’s really good at running the floor, which should bode well with LaMelo Ball.
This story was originally published August 8, 2021 at 8:26 PM.
