2022 Draft Central Feature

Reel Access | Episode 13: 2022 Summer League

reel-access-episode-13-2022-summer-league

For many players at the NBA Summer League, basketball has or will take them to destinations they might never have imagined. Very few ever get the chance – even briefly – to experience their journeys coming full circle in any sort of way.

Hornets’ Summer League point guard Ty-Shon Alexander is one of the lucky ones. He grew up in Charlotte and attended Concord High School and Northside Christian Academy before playing his final two prep seasons at national powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Virginia.

“It feels different,” said Alexander earlier last week. “Obviously, Charlotte is a hometown. I grew up when the Charlotte Hornets were first at the old Coliseum, then became the Bobcats and now they’re the Hornets again. It has been fun representing my hometown, having this jersey on and playing in Summer League for the Hornets.”

While living in the Queen City, Alexander played AAU ball for a former NBA point guard who knows a thing or two about suiting up for the local squad. Jeff McInnis – his coach on Team Charlotte – attended West Charlotte High School (and Oak Hill, for that matter) and the University of North Carolina, then went on to play 11 NBA seasons, the final two of which were with the Charlotte Bobcats from 2006-08.

Alexander went undrafted in 2020 following a three-year collegiate career at Creighton and eventually signed a two-way deal with the Phoenix Suns. He played sparingly for the then-Western Conference champions and eventually spent his second professional season in Italy, where he split time between Virtus Bologna and Pallacanestro Trieste.

“It wasn’t too bad at all,” he recalled, when asked about his time overseas. “I got a chance to learn from a couple of [former NBA] vets in Marco Belinelli and Miloš Teodosić, play with some fun teammates and for a great coach [in Sergio Scariolo], who coached the Spanish National Team. It was fun to learn, develop and see something new, too. We ended up winning the EuroCup to get to the EuroLeague next year.”

He added, “There were a lot of things I could have done better, especially with going out there and just playing. COVID was still kind of high over there, so the arenas were limited to a certain number of people. As soon as it went away some, the environment ended up getting crazier and crazier. People lighting fires off in the stands, bringing in drum sets and whistles, stuff you just can’t do here in the United States.”

The now 24-year-old came off the bench in each of the Hornets’ five Summer League contests, posting averages of 8.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.6 steals in 21.8 minutes, although shot just under 30% from the field. He was instrumental in the team’s late comeback win over the Lakers on July 17, notching 22 points – six in the final minute of regulation – and then assisting on JT Thor’s game-winning sudden-death 3-pointer in double overtime.

“It was fun to contribute, have the ball in my hands and create for others and for myself,” he said. “It’s something I’m still learning day by day. I’ve grown up a lot, especially coming back from Italy and learning about my first two years playing basketball. There were a lot of things that I worked on and developed. I’m just going to keep working and have that same attitude as far as keeping it going.” Like many others after Summer League concludes, where Alexander goes from here is still to be determined. Maybe he gets invited to an NBA training camp somewhere, winds up on a G League team or heads back to Europe. Regardless of how things play out, Alexander got the rare opportunity to represent his hometown purple and teal in an NBA-sanctioned game, something that no matter what, he can always look back fondly on.

ty-shon-alexanders-winding-road-back-to-charlotte

Ty-Shon Alexander’s Winding Road Back To Charlotte

JT Thor Explodes for 28 PTS and 5 STL, Minnesota Just Barely Holds off Charlotte’s Comeback

The Charlotte Hornets fought until the final seconds of their 2022 NBA Summer League finale on Saturday evening, as their late comeback efforts couldn’t overcome a rocky third quarter in an 89-86 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Las Vegas, NV.

JT Thor closed out the trip on an extremely high note, finishing with 28 points – the most by any Charlotte player at Summer League this year – on 9-of-14 shooting, three rebounds, two assists and five steals. The Auburn product entered the contest averaging just 8.3 points on 31% shooting through his first four appearances in the desert.

Holding a nine-point halftime lead, the Hornets had the tables turned on them in the third quarter after the Timberwolves shot 59% and forced seven turnovers to win the frame, 31-18. Finding themselves eventually down 10 with 50 seconds remaining in the fourth, Charlotte sprung a quick 8-0 run – highlighted by an and-1 and 3-pointer by Thor – to get within two.

The unlikely comeback win was firmly in sight following a Kai Jones steal, but as he attempted to push the ball upcourt, he gave possession right back to the Timberwolves. Minnesota hit one of two free throws with four seconds to go, then watched rookie Josh Minott stuff Bryce McGowens’ game-tying 3-point attempt at the buzzer to officially seal the victory.

Justin Minaya, who had played sparingly so far in Summer League, was the only other Charlotte player in double figures, putting up 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting off the bench. Mark Williams added eight points and seven rebounds, Jalen Crutcher had eight points and a team-high seven assists, helping Charlotte finished the game shooting 46% and 9-of-29 from deep (31%).

As for Minnesota, former Stephen F. Austin star Kevon Harris topped the scoring department with 23 points, helping mitigate some of the damage caused by his seven turnovers. Matt Lewis (19 points), Wendell Moore Jr. (15 points) and Minott (12) were also in double figures and Marial Shayok dished out a game-high 10 assists, as well. The Hornets appeared to be building some momentum heading down the home stretch of Summer League following wins over the Lakers and Cavaliers earlier in the week, so it’s disappointing to close out a productive 10 days with two straight losses. That being said, rostered players like Thor, Williams, Jones, McGowens and Nick Richards all had plenty of good moments to build on and even some under-the-radar prospects – mainly Brady Manek and LJ Figueroa – showed what they can do when given the opportunity.

late-rally-by-hornets-not-enough-in-summer-league-sendoff

Late Rally By Hornets Not Enough In Summer League Sendoff

Hornets vs Timberwolves | Summer League Highlights - 7/16/22

hornets-vs-timberwolves-summer-league-highlights-7-16-22

Hornets Summer League Highlights | JT Thor - 7/16/22

hornets-summer-league-highlights-jt-thor-7-16-22

2022-summer-league-gallery

2022 Summer League | Gallery

The Charlotte Hornets would love nothing more than to close out a long week-and-a-half out in Las Vegas with a victory tonight against Minnesota. In fact, that would give the team a winning record at NBA Summer League for the first time since going 3-2 back in 2018.

At times, scoring has been hard to come by for the Hornets in Las Vegas, although Minnesota has struggled even more in this department. Through Thursday night’s action, the Timberwolves rank in the bottom-5 of Summer League in points scored (76.5), field-goal percentage (37.7%) and 3-point percentage (24.8%).

A fun wrinkle in this one will be a pair of former college teammates going head to head in center Mark Williams and forward Wendell Moore Jr. Williams has done a little of everything so far, putting up 6.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.5 blocks in four outings, while the Charlotte native Moore is averaging 11.5 points, 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals.&nbsp;

While he’s had some moments here and there – a sudden-death 3-pointer against the Lakers being the most notable – it’s been an overall so-so second Summer League for JT Thor. He’s looked pretty sound on the defensive end for the most part, and would love to have a nice offensive showing to close things out after averaging 8.3 points on 31% shooting through the first four contests.

hornets-timberwolves-meeting-for-summer-league-finale

Hornets, Timberwolves Meeting For Summer League Finale

McGowens Finishes as Leading Scorer Again, Charlotte Shoots Just 34% in Defeat

Coming off a bit of a break-through performance 24 hours earlier, the offense of the Charlotte Hornets took a step back on Thursday afternoon in an 89-73 Summer League loss to the Chicago Bulls in Las Vegas, NV.

Rookie Bryce McGowens lead the Hornets in scoring for the second consecutive outing, finishing with 15 points, two rebounds, two assists, two blocks and no turnovers in the defeat. His shooting efficiency wasn’t nearly as sharp this time though, as he connected on just 4-of-18 attempts from the field and 1-of-7 from long range.

Already down six after the opening frame, Charlotte got outscored 22-10 in the second quarter to enter halftime trailing, 42-24. The Hornets, who registered a lowly 24% field-goal percentage in the opening 20 minutes of action, eventually got their scoring going, but it was too little, too late by the time the final horn sounded.

JT Thor and Jalen Crutcher were the only other Charlotte players in double figures, each putting up 10 points. Thor also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, while Kai Jones nearly double-doubled off the bench with nine points on 3-of-10 shooting, eight rebounds and two blocks.

For the victorious Bulls, rookie Dalen Terry scored an efficient game-high 20 points to go along with five rebounds and two steals. Center Marko Simonović then double-doubled with 17 points and a game-high 11 rebounds and Makur Maker and Malcolm Hill each had 11 points for a Chicago squad that shot 47% and outscored Charlotte on the fast break, 20-10.

Despite the loss, the Hornets still showed some positive flashes against a Bulls team that stands at 3-1 and is currently in contention for a berth in the Summer League championship game. Staying organized and playing consistent, competitive winning basketball remain the focuses and although there’s been some hiccups along the way, Charlotte should be encouraged by its performance in the desert up to this point. The Hornets will now play one more Summer League contest before heading back to Buzz City and the opponent, time and location are all to be determined at this time.