Liam McNeeley looked like a lottery pick in his NBA Summer League debut for the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.
UConn’s third-ever one-and-done, McNeeley came off the bench in the Hornets’ opener against the Utah Jazz and impacted the game immediately, driving for a crafty finish and a three-point play in his first minute on the court. Never taking a possession off, McNeeley recorded a double-double with 22 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, finishing plus-seven over 28 minutes in the 111-105 win.
An instinctive rebounder at 6 feet 7, McNeeley only had one 20-point double-double when he was at UConn, which came in his 38-point surge at Creighton. He is now teammates with former Bluejays big Ryan Kalkbrenner and served the 7-footer an alley-oop from the free throw line for one of his six assists on Friday.
“I know I can only control two things, and that’s my attitude and my effort. But if I have a great attitude and I give all my effort, I mean, that’s all I can do,” McNeeley told ESPN after the game.
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The Richardson, Texas, native was picked 29th overall in the NBA Draft, his stock sliding after an ankle injury disrupted his lone year at UConn. He wasn’t able to fully recover and finished his freshman season shooting just 38.1% from the field and 31.7% from 3 – uncharacteristic numbers for the five-star product of Montverde Academy.
Efficiency was not an issue on Friday as McNeeley shot 7-for-16 from the field and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc, making all five of his free throws.
“The NBA’s a step up (in physicality) from college, but I played in the Big East. The Big East is pretty physical. Throwing your body around, not being afraid to dive on the floor and go hit somebody,” he told reporters at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
“He’s got kind of a mature game,” said Chris Jent, the Hornets’ assistant tabbed as head coach for the Summer League team. “He’s got good size, plays at his pace. He’s got enough handle where he doesn’t get sped up all the time. He just has a knack for the game. You can see it too, we’ve got a lot of guys like that so it’s gonna be fun to watch.”
On the other end of Charlotte’s victory was Adama Sanogo, who is battling for a contract with the Utah Jazz and has had a successful start to his summer league. The 2023 Final Four Most Outstanding Player had eight points, eight rebounds and three assists in the loss, exchanging blocks with Kalkbrenner at one point as a reminder of their old Big East rivalry.
The Hornets return to action against the Philadelphia 76ers at 6:30 p.m. Saturday night (ESPN2). McNeeley will likely meet his former Montverde teammate and No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg when the Hornets play the Dallas Mavericks on Monday (6:30 p.m. NBA TV) before closing the summer session against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday (7 p.m. ESPN).
Other Huskies in action Friday:
Cam Spencer continued to shine for the Memphis Grizzlies, who signed him to a two-year fully guaranteed contract last month. Another pure competitor, Spencer had 15 points on 4 of 9 shooting with three rebounds and two assists against the Boston Celtics on Friday.
James Bouknight, Dan Hurley’s first lottery pick when he went 11th overall in 2021, almost recorded his own double-double on Friday as he looks to return to the league. Bouknight started for the Portland Trail Blazers and stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal in a blowout win over the Golden State Warriors.
Elsewhere in the Summer League, Andre Jackson Jr. is looking to earn a guaranteed deal entering his third year with the Milwaukee Bucks, Tristen Newton is hoping for a roster spot with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Samson Johnson with the Indiana Pacers.