Matt Rochinski and Sam Perley of hornets.com will be following the Hornets throughout the 2017 NBA offseason and keeping fans up to date through the Buzz Words | Hornets Notebook. Keep checking back to see what the latest is as the season unfolds.
By Sam Perley, hornets.com | Thursday, June 30, 10:18 a.m.
A handful of familiar faces and plenty of new ones will suit up for the Charlotte Hornets as they get ready to tip off play at the 2017 Orlando Pro Summer League beginning on Saturday, July 1. While first-round pick Malik Monk is not expected to participate in the competition after suffering a sprained ankle in a pre-draft workout, there are still plenty of other intriguing players who are looking to make a name for themselves in the purple and teal.
Dwayne Bacon (G/F, Florida State) – Selected 40th overall by the Hornets in the 2017 NBA Draft, Dwayne Bacon averaged 16.5 points on 44.9 percent shooting, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steal over 69 games for Florida State from 2015-17. Last season, Bacon was one of four ACC players to average at least 17.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.0 steal per game, making him the first Florida State player to accomplish this feat since Tim Pickett in 2002-03.
Bacon is also a 2015 McDonald’s High School All-American, a 2017 All-ACC Second Team honoree and recently helped lead Florida State to its first appearance and victory in the NCAA Tournament since 2012.
Tyrell Corbin (G, CSU-Bakersfield) – Tyrell Corbin averaged 5.2 points on 36.1 percent shooting, 2.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists across 65 outings for Cal State Bakersfield from 2013-15. He went on to average 10.9 points on 40.2 percent shooting, 2.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 3.2 steals over 11 outings with KK Jedinstvo Bijelo Polje in Montenegro’s Prva A Liga during the 2015-16 season.
Corbin has also played professionally for SBL Hasiin Khuleguud in Mongolia and Bima Perkasa Yogyakarta in Indonesia. He ranked sixth in the Indonesian Basketball League in scoring (24.9 points) and first in steals (2.9) last season.
Anthony Gill (PF, Virginia) – Anthony Gill appeared in 30 games for Yesilgiresun Beliediye of the Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL) last season, ranking second on the team in scoring (14.4 points) and first in rebounding (6.9; tied for ninth in the BSL). Gill also shot 65.5 percent from the field and 46.5 percent from three-point range, marks that ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, amongst players with at least 20 BSL appearances last season.
A two-time All-ACC honoree, Gill averaged 10.5 points on 55.6 percent shooting and 5.3 rebounds in 139 combined collegiate appearances at South Carolina (2011-12) and Virginia (2013-16).
Treveon Graham (G/F, VCU) – In his first NBA season, Treveon Graham averaged 2.1 points on 47.5 percent shooting (60.0 percent from three-point range) and 0.8 rebounds in 7.0 minutes across 27 total games for the Charlotte Hornets last year. Graham spent the 2015-16 campaign playing for the Idaho Stampede of the NBA G-League, where he posted averages of 15.7 points on 46.0 percent shooting, 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 46 total appearances.
Graham played for both the 2015 Las Vegas Summer League Champion San Antonio Spurs and 2016 Orlando Summer League Champion Orlando Magic White teams, finishing tied for seventh in the latter tournament in overall scoring (16.0 points).
Kris Joseph (F, Syracuse) – Kris Joseph has spent the last four seasons playing professionally in Europe, most recently with Enel Brindisi in Italy’s Lega Basket Serie A. He averaged 7.7 points on 40.3 percent shooting, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 19 games with the club during the 2016-17 season.
In 140 appearances for Syracuse University from 2008-12, Josephaveraged 10.5 points on 44.9 percent shooting, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals. He was taken 51st overall by the Boston Celtics in the 2012 NBA Draft before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets organization midway through his rookie season.
Przemek Karnowski (C, Gonzaga) – Przemek Karnowski averaged 9.8 points on 59.5 percent shooting, 5.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 152 career games for Gonzaga from 2012-17. A two-time First-Team All-West Coast Conference honoree, Karnowski is the 2017 Kareem Abdul- Jabbar Award winner (nation’s best center) and also holds the record for most career wins by any Division I player in history (137).
A native of Bydgoszcz, Poland, Karnowski won the 2012 Polish Basketball League Rookie of the Year Award while playing for ASK KS Siarka Tarnobrzeg. He has made numerous appearances for the Polish National Team at both the junior and senior international levels.
Mangok Mathiang (F/C, Louisville) - Mangok Mathiang put up 4.8 points on 50.6 percent shooting, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks across 114 appearances at Louisville from 2013-17. A team captain this past season, Mathiang finished the year ranked tied for seventh in the ACC in offensive rebounds per game (2.6) while also averaging collegiate career highs in scoring (7.8 points), total rebounding (6.0) and assists (0.7).
Originally from Sudan although raised in Melbourne, Australia, Mathiang suited up for the Aussies at the 2015 World University Games, finishing tied for eighth in the tournament in scoring (13.5 points) and first in rebounding (10.3).
Johnny O’Bryant (F, LSU) – Johnny O’Bryant appeared in 11 total regular season NBA games for the Denver Nuggets and Charlotte Hornets last year, putting up combined averages of 3.5 points on 50.0 percent shooting and 1.7 rebounds in 7.3 minutes of action. He also played in 25 games for the Northern Arizona Suns of the NBA G-League last year, ranking second on the team in scoring (18.1 points), first in rebounding (8.6) and third in three-point percentage (37.3 percent).
A second-round pick by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2014, O’Bryant achieved First-Team All-SEC honors during both his collegiate seasons at LSU and was also a 2017 NBA G-League All-Star as well.
Quinton Stephens (F, Georgia Tech) – Quinton Stephens averaged 6.3 points on 36.6 percent shooting, 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists over 135 games for Georgia Tech from 2013-17. He was one of five players in the ACC last season to average at least 10.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game and is one of two Yellow Jacket players to accomplish this feat since Matt Harpring did so in 1997-98.
Originally from Atlanta, GA, Stephens is also one of three ACC players to combine for at least 500 points, 400 rebounds and 100 assists over the last two seasons. He ranked ninth in the ACC last season in total rebounding (7.6) and tied for second in defensive rebounds per game (6.3).
Rasheed Sulaimon (G, Maryland) – Rasheed Sulaimon appeared in 49 games for the Greensboro Swarm last season, posting averages of 13.3 points on 43.8 percent shooting, 3.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per outing. He also ranked tied for first on the team in both steals per game (1.3) and three-point field goals made per game (1.6).
In 126 combined collegiate outings with Duke (2012-15) and Maryland (2015-16), Sulaimon averaged 10.4 points on 42.9 percent shooting (40.2 percent from three-point range), 2.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.
Briante Weber (PG, VCU) – Briante Weber played in 20 combined regular season NBA games for the Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Hornets in 2016-17, posting overall averages of 3.1 points on 41.7 percent shooting, 1.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 10.3 minutes per contest. He also made 31 appearances for the NBA G-League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce last season, ranking fourth on the team in both scoring (16.5 points) and rebounding (7.5) and first in assists (7.3) and steals (league-high 3.3).
A 2017 NBA G-League All-Star, Weber played in four games for the Miami Heat in the 2016 Orlando Pro Summer League, posting averages of 7.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and a tournament-high 3.8 steals per game.
Tai Webster (G, Nebraska) - Tai Webster finished his career at Nebraska with overall averages of 8.8 points on 41.5 percent shooting, 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 block in 127 career games for the Cornhuskers. He ranked tied for fourth in the Big 10 Conference last season in scoring (17.0 points) and tied for fifth in steals (1.4), on his way to garnering 2017 All-Big 10 Second Team honors.
A native of Auckland, New Zealand, Webster made his debut with the Tall Blacks National Team in 2012 when he was just 17 years old. He has appeared in numerous senior level international competitions for New Zealand including the 2014 FIBA World Cup and 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Devin Williams (F, West Virginia) – Devin Williams averaged 11.1 points on 44.5 percent shooting, 8.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 102 appearances for West Virginia from 2013-16. He played 16 games for Melbourne United in Australia’s National Basketball League last season, posting averages of 3.2 points on 46.5 percent shooting and 4.0 rebounds in 10.5 minutes of action.
Williams also appeared in eight games for the Greensboro Swarm last year, averaging 2.9 points on 71.4 percent shooting and 3.2 rebounds in 8.3 minutes of play.
Gabe York (G, Arizona) – During his four seasons at Arizona, Gabe York managed averages of 9.2 points on 41.4 percent shooting (40.2 percent from three-point range), 2.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 124 total outings for the Wildcats. Last season, York averaged 4.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 17.0 minutes across six contests for Vanoli Cremona in Italy’s Lega Basket Serie A.
York closed out the year playing 44 games for the Erie BayHawks of the NBA G-League. He finished the season ranked third on the team in scoring (15.8 points), second in assists (3.7) and tied for first in three-point field goals made per game (2.4).