GAMENOTES: Summer League Game #1 Charlotte Hornets (0-0) vs. Utah Jazz (0-0) - July 11th, 2025

Kon's struggles were offset by the UCONN kid's flame game

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FINAL

Charlotte Hornets 111 (1-0) - Utah Jazz 105 (0-1)

THE BOXSCORE

WHY DID THEY WIN/LOSE? (AND OTHER IMPORTANT STORIES)

• Liam McNeeley, the 29th overall pick in the NBA Draft, went supernova in this game. 22 points off the bench, 12 rebounds and 6 assists on 7 of 16 shooting. Beyond the boxscore he refused to be screened, got the ball quickly up the floor, made insanely quick reads and sharp passes, talked on defense all game long. I didn’t understand the pick when they made it. From what I saw in his UCONN tape he looked like a worse version of Kon Knueppel with a Corey Kispert upside. What I saw tonight was a completely different player. His poise and confidence with the ball stood out. Lot of reasons to be thrilled with his performance. If you have any good recipes for the crow I’m going to have to eat on Monday’s Locked On Hornets, drop them in the comments please and thank you.

• Shoutout to KJ Simpson who would have led this write up for his hot offensive start to the first half. Simpson finished with 21 points and 5 assists on 8 of 15 shooting and 4 made triples. His defense still has a lot of question marks in it but he’s a heater on the offensive side.

• Tidjane Salaun finished with 20 points and 7 rebounds. He looked stronger physically and played stronger mentally. He was slowing himself down, slowing the possession down and making floor reads he was incapable of last season. He also made plenty of mistakes on both ends, ending with 5 fouls which is basically fouling out of an actual NBA game. Improvements? Yes. Ready for primetime: VERY MUCH TBD.

• Kon Knueppel’s debut DEFINITELY could have gone better. 5 points, 1-8 from the field, 3 turnovers and plenty of drives allowed in 30 minutes of play. I thought he started the game well despite missing shots. He was getting deflections, driving and kicking and generally making good decisions. But after Kyle Filipowski aggressively erased his transition look he started to oscillate between pressing and disappearing. The way he set his shots up looked tight and very un-Kon based on tape I watched from his Duke days. Am I worried? No, he’ll presumably have plenty of chances to shake it off.

• Ryan Kalkbrenner finished with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks. He only attempted 1 triple. I’d like to see more looks for him there. I’d venture to say that most if not all of those 4 assists went to Salaun. He and TJ developed a surprising big to big 2 man game. Defensively he flashed the obvious: great shot blocker, stiff on the perimeter.

• Overall, great effort by the Hornets. They don’t really have the personnel to be a dominant defensive squad but the effort was there and it paired with offensive execution that’s a level above what you typically see in summer league. Could mean the Hornets bring home what we’ve all dreamed of…a Summer League championship?

NEWS AND NOTES

• Ace Bailey was declared out with a sore hip flexor. DUCK!

• Starters: KJ, Kon, Sion, Salaun, Kalkbrenner

• Brandon Miller said in a sideline interview that he’s around 90% right now and should be 100% next month.

• How about a summer league back to back?! Hornets tip off tomorrow at 6:30ET. Some of the big minutes players in this one may see reductions.

THINGS I THINK I SAW

• 1st Quarter

  • 9:40 - quick drive on the mismatch by Kon and he’s at the line. Misses the first. NERVES.

  • 9:19 - I thought TJ was gonna yeet this from way deep but he zips a nice pass into Kalkbrenner who is fouled.

  • NICE SLOB play leads to a lob layup for Sion

  • BAD GAMBLE by KJ and gets cut for 2. Looks good offensively though.

  • There’s the long TJ triple but he clanks it.

  • 7:12 - GREAT ball fake by Salaun but he smokes the layup. Womp. Focus big man. Handle looks cleaner. Made some good decisions, seems to be processing a little faster.

  • Kon drives in transition but gets a welcome to the bigs moment from Filipowski who yaks it off the backboard

  • 5:10 - Nice spin move to the layup by Kalkbrenner over the mouse in the house Walter Clayton Jr.

  • YOOOO strong quick take by KJ Simpson for the And-1, he’s already into double digits.

  • 3:51 - This is an amazing defensive play by Kon. He misses a shot. He’s struggling offense but he quickly gets back, picks up the ball handler and makes a hands play that leads to a TJ flush on the other end.

  • Liam McNeeley out here trying things in the paint. Have headband, will get shots up.

  • Damian Baugh off the bench is a WEAPON in Summer League. I have championship visions.

  • PJ Hall gets some chin music on a screen and we are in a LOOOOOONG review. This should be illegal. Common foul, glad all of our time was wasted.

  • :36 - I’ve LOVED Sion James’ initiation on offense in this quarter. Hits a nice pocket pass to PJ Hall for 2.

• 2nd Quarter

  • Liam McNeeley starts the quarter with back to back triples. Trying to make me look like A FOOL and I love it. He’s playing super hard.

    • If he turns into a star, I promise I’ll hate on every Hornets pick moving forward. Whatever I can do to help the cause.

  • Tidjane Salaun is playing with a little bit less of that nervous energy he played with in year one. He doesn’t look incredible but he also doesn’t look chaotic. Less fist pumping every win and more reading the floor.

  • No one can stay in front of KJ Simpson

  • Kon officially playing tight

  • 4:31 - Bad stepback 3 by Salaun. Still gotta work that out of the game.

    • 4:13 - Salaun’s drives right into the teeth of the D and gets fouled. This is a “looks good in summer league play.” That would result in a strip or offensive foul in the league.

  • 3:49 - Kalkbrenner behind the play after a KJ bad pass turnover SPRINTS down the court for the BLOCK on the perimeter. NO QUIT.

  • Kalkbrenner with a PHYSICAL backdown of Filipowski. Shoulder to chest! Let’s go!

  • :57 - KJ Simpson lighting up the nets in the first half. His defense has been more miss than hit but he’s a huge reason why they are in the lead.

  • SALAUN with the escape dribble to get himself away from some tight on ball D. into a drive and euro for 2. Holy moly.

  • 60 points in the first half and Kon was a non-factor offensively. Would not have guessed that.

• 3rd Quarter

  • 8:43 - SAME SLOB finds Sion James again. How about Chris Jent coaching these boys up.

  • Salaun keeps getting these Jazz defender to leap on his ball fake. He’s back at the free throw line.

  • Kalkbrenner leaving shooters a little too much room on the perimeter. Cody Williams misses but he’s been burned a few times.

  • The best offensive connection in this game has been big to big, Kalkbrenner and Salaun

    • also KJ Simpson and the bottom of the net

  • NICE drive and kick to the corner by McNeeley to Salaun for 3. He looks very comfortable out there.

  • 4:04 - Kon gets up in the air in the mid-post, tries to bail on it and throws it to no one in particular. YOIKES.

  • Collier crushing Kon on the offensive end and bottling him up on the defensive end.

  • I don’t often agree with Seth Greenberg but he’s right that the Hornets need to keep feeding Kon and finding some looks for it. Let him shake it off. He’s stewing in his own juices right now.

  • ANOTHER find in early offense by Liam McNeeley. This time he hits Sion James on the money cutting baseline for the lob layup.

  • 2:24 - Liam McNeeley refusing to be screened and makes Walter Clayton take a terrible shot. Also 8 REBOUNDS?!

  • PJ Hall is just throwing his body around with no real control. Bad screens. Bad off ball fouls.

  • Liam gets a free run on the final OOB play AND HE SMOKES THE LAYUP.

• 4th Quarter

  • 8:22 - Liam ONE MAN FASTBREAK which is setup by his own refusal to be screened out of the play. Keeps pressure on the ball handler doinks the middy.

  • Got a wide shot of LaMelo’s fit which Dave McMenamin called Pepto Bismol-chic but all I saw were his shoes which were like a clown shoe version of Timberland boots.

• I BELIEVE I KON FLY: Kon Knueppel FIRST BASKET is a HUGE FLUSH in transition off a deflection and Kon yammed it. Good for him.

• Liam has been taking a ton of shots which is honestly good practice for Kon’s year one role which will involve long stretches of watching Melo or Brandon do their thing.

• Eclipsing 100 points in Summer League with more than 5 to go. That’s a dub.

• McNeeley with 22 on his second step back mini-Dirk look off the elbow

• 4:43 - GREAT pass to the corner here by Liam but Sion misses the wide open look

• NO LOOK by Liam but Kalkbrenner wasn’t ready for it. Dude might be too good for SL already.

• 2:50 - Kalkbrenner gets nuked by Cody Williams on the perimeter in case you were wondering if he can guard on the perimeter.

• Another INSANELY quick read by Liam who finds Kalkbrenner for the jam. I’m actually stunned.

• McNeeley has been mic’d up all game. He does a lot of good talking, sounds confident and free. Good personality.

• 1:50 - TIDJANE WITH THE BIG TIME 3 FROM THE CORNER

• That’s a dub.