How patient can we be with Tidjane Salaun? + Summer League feelings on NSJ, Bryce McGowens, & more

How patient can we be with Tidjane Salaun? + Summer League feelings on NSJ, Bryce McGowens, & more

time for the Summer League episode 2 and 0 baby combined 60 point margin of Victory 30 points of Pop we’re playing for the deao California classic Championship tonight we discuss all of it and this that one I did hit you over the face with the sledgehammer and you didn’t see it coming because my camera is frozen you are locked on Hornets your daily Charlotte Hornets podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team everyday in the minut CL we [Music] live it’s lockon hornets part of the locked on podcast Network it’s your team every day thanks for making us your first listen we’re free and available anywhere you get your pods and that includes YouTube today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel you can make every moment more as playoffs wind down they’re over in the NBA sports stop sporting like we want them to but this summer FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily that’s right there’s something for everyone every day all summer long visit fanduel.com to get started you know the playoffs aren’t really over in the California classic I mean yeah I guess technically it’s not a tournament um that ends with a champion but if you end your session with an undefeated record what am I supposed to do what do you want me to do it’s a championship it’s the de facto Championship Doug Branson from every Hornets boox score.com and that’s how I will see it if they win tonight against the Sacramento Kings uh that’s fine and I think you should see it that way I think we have to take every little Victory we can get and we can celebrate it internally we don’t have to make a you know a huge Splash about it to everyone else we can just have our little sicko parade inside uh of our sio Brigade uh but more importantly I have to do something that I don’t do very often on this show as we open up and that is I have to issue an apology uh oh for yesterday’s show uh it was a it was a difficult show it was a difficult day and the emotions uh got the best of me and I would like to apologize because I forgot that summer is for feelings and pre-season is for reason okay I’m sorry I forg I forgot the saying that I came up with that everyone loves and I just I forgot the back half of it summer is for feelings pre-season is for reason uh like I said a lot of things going on in my head yesterday I apologize but now I’ve rectified it so move on everyone move on yeah that was tough I walked away little frustrated confused why did you forget I’m glad you addressed it I was I was too cowardice to bring it up to you in the moment I’m glad that you brought it up here in today’s episode I’m Walker mail by the way you can listen to me on WFNZ every weekday from 12 to3 so I’m watching Summer League last night looking at all the clips the oh man this guy’s going to be a problem clip and then there’s like a 45 second little Montage of these rookies that are performing in summer league and I see some guys that we watched in college basketball last year we get to see Jared McCain yesterday doesn’t hit a three but still looks really good gets goes for I think 15 points Jared McCain one of the guys that demanded your attention how about Zach Edy going number nine a little bit higher than people thought but was a two-time college player of the year in at Purdue and not higher than I thought by the way I thought he was gonna go that high he didn’t that didn’t surprise me at all no okay you know when you say Jared McCain I always think of Edwin McCain like it never it never fails artist I don’t know how many people that’s it’s one hit wonder Edwin McCain I mean if there’s another one I don’t know what it is I know I’ll be so a little bit higher than what everybody expected except for Doug Zack Edy going number nine looked really good hit the the bucket to go to overtime in yesterday’s game um yeah impressive stuff from him you have some of these guys Dalton connect I know you said he’s looked good with the Lakers uh you you have some players that have college ties or that were just drafted you know a little bit later than salon and the teens right right inside the top 10 they’re looking pretty damn good Doug we don’t have tajan Salon out there on the court right now got injured okay we hope to see him we know that that he’s supposed to play in Summer League at some point KJ Simpson won’t but Salon is supposed to at some point my question is how patient is the fan base really going to be if we see some of these guys continue this right if we see the first round picks not only impress and summer league but also put up impressive performances throughout year one maybe they go a little highe hawz where haime is a really good player didn’t expect him to be as big of a contributor immediately isn’t an All-Star isn’t really taking Brandon Miller spot away from you know best Eastern Conference rookie right but like H mayhawk is really solid all year long are we going to see that from some of these older college players or even just some of the players that were selected After Salon while we have to wait Salon sitting on the bench Charles Lee looking to get this team competitive simple question how patient do you think this fan base is going to be with salon and how patient do they need to be well simple question and simple answer Edward McCain also wrote I could not ask for more so he had two hits I could not ask for more than this love you gave me you know was a hit okay well that’s a hit people know that song I don’t know I don’t know where it charted but people know that song little before my time well Edwin McCain generally yeah I don’t know how many people watching the show are even going to know that name the answer to your other question uh is that I think that people are going to be as patient with this team as the team is winning so if the team is performing well if everyone stays healthy I think people will understand that you resign miles Bridges and you added Josh Green those are two pieces that seem to easily slot as starting players and that he’s go that that at Best Salon is going to have a bench rooll um now the question will be how significant is that bench roll I think because of some of the defensive issues that he’s going to have early on he’s going to you’re going to have to really slot him at four he’s I think he he projects as a guy that’s going to be defensively versatile but I don’t know and we got to see I mean we got to see what we uh what he what he comes up with here in Vegas but I have I have a feeling that you’re going to have to hide this guy a little bit on defense and so I think there will be specific bench lineups uh that are going to be available to him but you know I think that Charles Lee is a Player Development coach like that’s one of his it’s one of his Specialties it’s one of the things that he did in Milwaukee um and in Boston and he’s hired a lot of Player Development coaches to his staff but I don’t think that you should mistake that for this guy’s going to like play rookies huge minutes and and so on down the line I think he’s everything they’ve been talking about is hard work and and commitment and I think you can add something to that of like earning minutes I mean I think that that they kept on Steve Clifford and I think that’s going to be one of the things that carries over from the Clifford regime is that I think that minutes are going to be earned on this team and that goes for salon and Simpson and anyone else on this squad and you got a guy in in Lee that’s going to I think reevaluate everything so it’s not just Salon it’s going to be Cody Martin and Nick Smith Jr and some of these other uh Reserve pieces as well Grant Williams everybody’s going to have to come in and training camp and and they’re going to figure out the best way to put a winning uh you know basketball team on the floor yeah I my right how much does that include salon on the Court this year because if you look at sixth overall selections they play because you’re right outside the top five I mean you’re well within the lottery so it’s not like okay yeah they were top 10 but they were a little bit further down or they were in the lottery but they were a little bit further down me you’re the sixth overall selection and so I was looking at some of the other past picks at that spot they all play Doug they all play year one they all get minutes and I just don’t see that happening a ton for Salon if we’re going with if if if we’re going with all of the healthy cases of guys that were drafted six that were available to be on the court they got enough time to try to figure out what they could do their rookie season and a lot of times you know the teams that are picking sixth are really bad and so they get their shot Salon just doesn’t seem like that kind of guy to me especially right now in what we would consider a weak draft a crazy raw Prospect still a surprise right but Salon going at six I think most people would have had him projected it came out after the fact that the Spurs were interested at eight but they also had two picks to play with and so it makes sense let’s get the guy that we feel better about in Castle and then let’s take the shot at number eight so you would expect maybe man I don’t know I thought it could have been outside the top 10 all these things are working against Salon playing meaningful minutes for me so then what I suggest guys look I’m just saying get ready for some Greensboro and and a lot of it a lot of swarm time I’m getting push back on the world famous WFNZ text line this guy was drafted right outside the top five are you kidding me if he plays anytime in Greensboro I’m pissed I’m like okay well that’s what you’re GNA be that that that’s what it feels like to me anyway yeah but I mean he was drafted right outside the top five but I think well above where he was projected to be drafted at I mean it was a weak draft guys were all over the place but I think Salon it was a it was a flyer I’m not going to call it a reach because I think a reach has negative connotations you do do a reach when there are solid guys that make sense for the pick and you go way way outside that there that that wasn’t what happened in the draft they took a flyer on a guy in salon at six and but when you take a flyer there are realities that come with that in terms of his uh Readiness to be on a floor and it doesn’t just like I don’t think it would have benefited Mark Williams early on to play and get beasted and have his confidence shook he had to go to Greensboro and build that confidence and then he came in later in the season and he balled out so I mean I think the same thing could happened with Salon there was a guy that I compared him to uh before the draft and then I heard uh uh Kristen Peak from Yahoo on with you on WFNZ make the same comparison which is Bal kabali who was taken around that area in last year’s draft by the Washington Wizards and kabali I thought okay this guy’s gonna go to the g- league for a while he’s not ready to go he rode the coattails of wanyama his buddy and good for him but he’s going to take some time to season and he came in for Washington a bad basketball team but he looked like he belonged on the floor even on a bad basketball team my thing is I don’t think the Hornets are going to be that like that Washington Wizard’s level of bad if big if they stay healthy and if that’s the case then then salon’s gonna have to take some time know and I get the the late Riser stuff and there’s some rawness there with kabali I would still say by actually considerable margin he was more polished coming in last year than what Salon is like I I really do think we’re talking about a really young Prospect who has a long long way to go and that’s why you make the elction you’re playing the long game here where there might be some solid guys as you put it and maybe some people could describe it as a reach and they might be right if this thing doesn’t work out later but you have some guys that are playing well right now in summer league that I think are going to be pretty good in year one but we’re trying to figure out if Salon is going to be the right Prospect three years from now not five months from now that’s what we’re trying to figure out and I think that’s what you have to keep in perspective when you see these other rookies playing and playing better than what Salon is doing with the big leagues oh totally and look he’s going to get a shot I mean we’re not talking we’re talking about a Hornets team that’s not like crazy deep I mean this is not an automatic playoff qualifying Charlotte Hornets roster especially at that position too you know if it was another guard maybe you could make that case but at Power Forward you’re right grant miles playing some four yeah that’s that’s really we don’t know they may add something there I think there’s still some shuffling to be done between now and training camp but still I think he’s going to get a fair shot both in summer league training camp and preseason to to show exactly who he is and and I’m just of the belief and particularly if you co if you trust Coach Lee and I think a lot of people trust Coach Lee right now if you trust him you have to trust in the idea that that he is going to show who he is and how ready he is and and everyone on that staff is going to know it and they’re going to play him accordingly Player Development is just as much about putting a player in a position to succeed as it is about giving him raw minutes we’ll see if people can be p uh can be patient because yeah it might be a little while well here’s what I would say to folks about being patient I I think you just have to you have to enjoy the time that you have with Salon whatever that time is in fact I I’ll say uh you you could not ask for more than this time together with tjan saline you could not ask for more than this time with him and and listen every prayer has been answered Coach Lee is the real deal every dream has come true and look maybe he is the Strand in your eyes that color them wonderful if that’s the case then welcome to Charlotte we’ll love it coming up next on the lockdown Hornets podcast sleep on the Hornets just yet nsj somebody that was uh a draft pick we all love D in the late first round last year how’s he been looking in summer league we start to go player to player in their summer league sessions to the first two games coming up next loh this episode is brought you by better help comparison is the thief of joy and it’s easy to Envy other people’s lives it might look like they have it all together on their Instagram or social media platform whatever it may be but in reality they probably don’t therapy can help you focus on what you want instead of what others have so you can start living your best life if you’re thinking of starting therapy then give better help a try it’s entirely online designed to be convenient flexible and suited to your schedule and all you have to do is fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist and then switch therapist any time for no additional charge if you feel the need to do so stop comparing and start focusing with betterhelp visit betterhelp.com lockon NBA today to get 10% off your first month that’s betterhelp HP betterhelp.com lockon NBA more lockon Hornets ahead Doug before we get to Nick Smith Jr I think he is probably the most exciting uh player in Summer League this year people are are ready to see him outside of Salon the rookie I’m going to ask you a simple question again two simple questions to lead off each SE segment this simple question do you think Bryce MCW had a good game against team China uh do you think he played well I think he got to the rim I mean I I think that yeah it’s it’s difficult against team China because it was pretty clear from the jump that team China was unprepared for that game I think the transition from International game to this like summer league weird environment has been difficult for them and so they were like super they were too physical on defense team China and uh the Hornets recognized it early and we like all right we’re going to attack these dudes we’re faster and we’re going to make them fallous a thousand times and Bryce took advantage of that but that’s not like indicative of his you know previous experience that we’ve seen from him in the NBA so like I don’t I it’s a tough thing to judge I mean I think by the tone that you asked that question I think I know your answer oh no no no no I I think it I I phrase it as a simple question I I don’t know if it’s a simple answer because I Bryce you know comes in he scores 20 points okay you look at that alone and go four of eight from the field you shoot 14 free throw attempts and you make 12 of them that statline would suggest all day long 10 out of 10 good game straight up maybe even fantastic game and then you look at the other ways that Bryce might be able to help the team there’s not a lot there three assist I guess that’s not terrible like three assists isn’t bad two rebounds there’s one steal only one turnover a couple of fouls he was a plus 20 if you care about that sort of thing I like I just think he’s so good at that one skill getting to the foul line and that was true at Nebraska that’s been true even in the first couple of years in the league with him you know going through a whole bunch of different roles and I I know we’re talking about a guy that’s not even on the team right now so I apologize I just like for me you know this this is the reason right you might think wait why are they waving this person when he showed some flashes he even started some games when Steve Clifford was desperate but he still went to Bryce mcgaw’s like you could have gone to somebody else if you wanted to he he has a legitimate skill that can help you see the court getting to the foul line but that’s he just goes to the rack constantly which we also like but that’s it like that’s what you got you got Bryce McGaw going to the rim every single possession and if he doesn’t get fouled then he’s going to miss it and then you’re probably you know going to well and the well the reason and I and I don’t I don’t even say this in like a mean way like the reason he got waved is that he you’re right he would go to the rack a lot and he would miss it more than If he if he was the kind of guy that could go to the rack a ton and and get 10 free throws you know every other game then there’s probably a place for him on this roster or some other roster but that wasn’t the experience we weren’t getting that and you you couple that with the fact that yeah he’s not like a he’s not a very good player maker he’s not not yeah he’s he’s not like a stellar Defender there I mean you know yeah so that’s it’s just it I mean he’s a second round pick that the Hornets you know traded up they thought they there was something there and you know I don’t think it cost them a lot and Bryce you know gets to continue to develop in this summer league and maybe he lands in a place where he meets another coach and figure something out you never know well worthwhile experiment by the way totally well worthwhile so totally fine all right nsj go what are you thinking about him I think that the thing that jumped out immediately was his activity level on the defensive end he was everywhere and we got a little bit of a preview of that in that video that they released of the practice before the first Summer League game where Charles Lee was really in nsjs uh shirt you know telling him hey you know we got we got to get more from you defensively and and I think he’s responded to that call so that’s good I think I’ve seen some better passing from him that was one thing that I was looking for because really like Xavier Simpson is the point guard I guess for this team you know without KJ Simpson but really they’ve been running a majority of the offense through nsj first and and I think generally he’s done good although there were some you know pick and roll plays where like he throws it down to a cutting Simpson who had no business throwing it down to and Simpson has to like he was too far into the basket had to fire back you know there’s just like plays where you go ah man what’s going on there but the big concern I think is you look at the is you look at the shooting numbers right because nsj a lot like um his a lot like Malik monk if he’s not GNA shoot well and he did last season in The Limited minutes if he’s not going to shoot well I’m not sure what the justification is for him being out there and in both of these Summer League games um I think he was Sub sub 40% in both of these um but yeah it’s it hasn’t been good um well and so yeah you bring up a leak monk we obviously have had different experiences with Malik you do this all the time like you do it you just I didn’t even I wasn’t well hold on now I wasn’t I didn’t punch with that you know sometimes I sometimes I’m guilty of taking Malik monk like a sledgehammer and trying to knock you in the face with it right I just sort of dro that in there I I got to I got to call it out like every five times like we can get through the first four by the fifth time I got to call it out I do think unlike Malik though like where I will disagree defensively he wasn’t good but I said it then I think Malik was a very very good playmaker even here in Charlotte and only got better in more opportunity and we’ve seen that in Sacramento and that’s what allows I don’t disagree I don’t disagree with that right but that’s what I’m saying Nick Smith Jr is not that no probably the opposite yeah yeah so so even if Malik isn’t hitting shots I still felt like Malik was helping in other ways offensively even if you were giving up some something defensively with Nick Smith Jr he’s not helping a lot in that now what I will say I you can tell he’s working on it though right like I I actually think he’s breaking guys down off the dribble he’s beating his man we we see passes that might be just like a tick too late but they’re there and this is I’m honestly encouraged right because we know that the shooting numbers they’re hot and cold make or Miss League all that two games I’m not tripping off of a two game sample size sure you would love to see the efficiency a little bit better but Doug if we’re just paying attention to what it looks like he worked on and what he’s getting better at I I see the Improvement I see the Improvement in areas you want to see Improvement I see Improvement in in playmaking I I see the steps being taken I see defensively the steps being taken and another play I want to talk about there was a play I think like Midway through the second quarter I I thought at the point of attack like right there at the three-point line Nick was kind of upright in a defensive stance didn’t get low he gets blown by and it puts pressure on the defense there might have even been a foul if I’m not mistaken Nick Smith Jr gets brought out at that moment and I was gonna I was paying attention to what the combo might be between nsj and Charles Lee and Charles Lee’s talking to him and then Nick Smith Jr kind of like looks back or at the at the sideline and he throws his palms in the air and like doing some it wasn’t anything crazy it’s not like these guys had beef but there was a teaching moment there that that goes to your point of Charles Lee it looked like there was teaching from Lee where he wasn’t berading him it was just hey you got to get in a stance you have to make sure you move your feet with this guy or you put pressure on the rest of the defense and he was taken out when he didn’t do it despite I agree with you being active in other areas defensively so like I’m I’m pleased with the Improvement that I’ve seen from him I I am although again if you were if you wanted some justification for nsj to like crack a fully healthy Hornets rotation we haven’t gotten it yet you know again it’s not it’s not just that he wasn’t efficient it’s that he shot so it was 23.6% on 10 plus attempts in the first game and on 10 plus I mean he’s the featured player offensively for this squad and in the second game uh 30% one of six from three so that shooting has to come through uh he has to continue to improve defensively and become again someone that allows you to remain functional as a passer I don’t think he’s going to be a playmaker I think you’ve got to have someone that is going to make the right decision you know seven times out of 10 yeah and so that that’s what we’re looking for but I would say like yeah right now how I don’t where like I just don’t even get it like where does he play over Trey man if they keep me oh he doesn’t yeah so that’s what I’m saying we haven’t se if if that’s what you’re coming to this podcast for is us to say well yeah nsj is like he’s he’s going to make this rotation he’s going to be an impact player next season from what I’ve seen so far I I’m not buying that but this is where the patience comes in right I mean we’re two games into his second year in the league and there might be people that all right Nick Smith junior time baby we’re on this is what people don’t understand and I and I don’t know that me saying well first of all no one listen I think if you look at some of the comments from the last episode I think it’s pretty clear that people come to the show every day they come to this show they they watch faithfully and yet they don’t hear a word oh my God I had there was somebody that said that I liked the Gordon Hayward contract I famously you were famously not in love with that I got killed for hating the Gordon Hayward contract I killed you I probably killed you on this show you probably did you probably did yeah anyways go on um so I don’t think anyone’s going to listen of this either but we do a show every day and so I say that thing about Nick Smith Jr now but that’s the whole that’s this whole process is like evaluating them and and he may crush it the rest of Vegas and he may come into training camp and crush it in training camp and then all of a sudden you know we get to preseason games one and two and he’s getting more minutes than Trey man that process will play itself out and then we’ll talk about it then you know there’s no reason whether it’s Salon or nsj or any of these young players on a young team there’s no reason to like put them in a grave early we just say this is what we’re seeing right now and if it doesn’t change then you know get the shovels out that’s it all right let’s go I I have some more thoughts here coming up next on the lock on Hornets podcast sleep on the Hornets just yet let’s go through some more player evals and I I had to have some finishing thoughts on Nick Smith Jr that’s still to come last segment this episode is brought to you by FanDuel and look we all love sports I love them so much I never really want them to stop but as the playoffs are over we get fewer games and the sports aren’t sporting like I want them to but FanDuel lets me keep the sports going whenever I want because all I have to do is open up the app and dream up bets anytime I’m in the mood this summer fandel is hooking up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily that’s right there’s something for everyone every single day all summer long so head over to fanduel.com and start making the most of your summer FanDuel the official sports betting partner of May Major League Baseball more lock down hornets ahead yeah little bit of a weird situation we come back and I was talking for a while and Doug had that look on YouTube the entire time and it actually if you don’t know if you’re not watching on YouTube his camera is Frozen in a way where it still looks live and that Doug is just in deep thought about what I’m saying it looks like he’s listening which is a little bit different it runs contrary to what is usually happening but I I think we’re just going to roll with this camera Frozen shot instead of trying to fix it Doug well it’s really the the only choice we have at this moment so just to take people behind the scenes I use my phone as my camera when I’m recording from home which I am today and but unfortunately my phone has died and it died because get ready for it folks I say with me I have a baby and that baby was up all night and so I had my phone and I didn’t plug it in and and here we are and so yes I will be doing the remainder of this show I’m glad that I would say this like very fortunate that it froze on a what I would say is a sexy face it is honestly I I really the hair’s the hair is hairing right now yeah the lips are liing I think yeah I’m not I’m not you know sometimes like when you sort of look down or look up you know your chin can kind of look weird so no I think everything is everything is right where it should be except for the fact that my shot is not moving around anymore I I will not be able to see your visual cues it honestly might be less distracting here so I can finish some thoughts without having to say go ahead Doug or something like that so maybe this is just how we roll the whole time I’ll say one more thing about nsj um he’s improving we know this where we would get in trouble with some of the other draft picks or the other projects is it would be Kai Jones not improving in summer league year 2 regular season year 2 summer league year three it would be James book Knight not improving summer league year 2 regular season year two summer league year three and then so when you don’t see a lot of the Improvement there that’s when you start to worry where Nick Smith Jr is coming in no not hitting shots but like I see the steps right we can see what’s going on and so that’s helping me out a little bit more I see you’re in deep thought about it did you care to respond well what I’m thinking about is if nsj had to do it over again the whole draft process do you think he would have tried to pull a James naagi or an Al SAR and just you know put some feelers out there like hey I might not be super interested in joining the Charlotte Hornets because I do feel bad for him he’s buried in this guard rotation right now he could be getting minutes and burn with another team uh that that he may not get with Charlotte yeah he could be and maybe he does this year who knows maybe he would pull James Naji why’d you do it to me man I’ve moved on I moved on that one okay you’re right that one I did hit you over the face with the sledgehammer and you didn’t see it coming because my camera is Frozen no you still look in deep thought I didn’t realize that you were thinking about a James Nai joke let’s go rapid fire ghee what do you think about ghee for the summer league team going for 20 in the first game and then of course being injured in the second game I think it was hilarious uh uh listening to the fear and the voices of the summer league announcers as they tried to figure out how this guy’s name was pronounced and the guy over the PA was saying gay and they were saying ghee and they switched from G to gay like a couple of times during the broadcast and I think every somebody got in their ear and finally said this guy’s name is muhammadu ghee uh so they got that figured out I think he’s been great man uh total surprise for me I was watching for Jake Stevens because I knew that guy could shoot um and you know so I was kind of paying attention to him and this ghee Guy starts and I’m like what’s going on there and and he’s just been great so he spent some time in the Raptors organization so listen anytime the Hornets can go and get one of these guys that the Raptors always draft long arms uh you know a little bit skinny but seems like he can move around well defensively he was blocking shots he was everywhere activity get snatching offensive rebounds out of nowhere uh I think it’s pretty clear why he started because um he was just giving Max effort the whole time seems like he can shoot it obviously you know I think the the size in terms of his weight is probably what has held him back a little bit but uh yeah I mean hopefully the ankle injury that he suffered in game two is not serious he did have to miss the remainder of that game I hope we see him again for this championship game tonight he’s he has been even defensively before he got hurt uh against team China I mean he only played six minutes so it wasn’t much but he had a block he looked like he was defensively engaged I mean he didn’t take a shot here but really liked what we got from him uh any other thoughts on players that you we hadn’t addressed yet so the Hornets in game two could not hit a three-point shot it wasn’t just in a it wasn’t just nsj and I just uh did something to the camera shot there there we go oh man boy the tech on this show is failing us at the last moment um yes I I think that uh Jake Stevens was one of the few players in game two that was actually able to hit a three-point shot so that was refreshing to see it’s great they’ finally gone and gotten some guys that can audition for that third big that can shoot what a concept ccept centers that can shoot this is going to revolutionize the Hornets oh dare I say it will revolutionize the NBA um I I’m a little disappointed though because he’s taking time away from Drew pimber who comes in and goes 03 from three-point range but he did have a sweet dunk he did have four rebounds mind you I just want to make that clear I’m hoping Drew pimber can do something else here Charles Lee is full court trapping in summer league that’s an observation I just read that in my notes I had to just scream that Charles Lee has installed full court trap you know things into summer league I literally and the broadcasters mentioned this too like how in the world did Charles Lee get this team to play so together because if you look at that game they couldn’t shoot a three in that game against China and yet they scored 90 plus points a lot of that was the Chinese National Team not really being ready for prime time here but a lot of that was them sharing the basketball moving the basketball I think it’s a combination of Lee doing a good job with the time that he was allotted to get these guys ready it’s also finding the right kind of players who are ready to share the basketball and and do the things that are necessary to help a team function well and so ah it’s just been so wonderful to see we are this is really um I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop a little bit I’ve got that I’ve got that sort of in the back of my head but I’m trying to I’m trying to scare that away I’m trying to say you know what no let’s enjoy what we’ve got right now okay well the real sicko are going to have to be out in full force tonight 1 p.m. tip for the Kings Hornets game it’ll be on NBA TV and ESPN plus if you are a sicko then you just might find yourself staying up for a hornet Summer League game at 1000 p.m. it’s going to be a late one um it’s a good time to be in central time I’ll tell you that much that’s right so we’ll uh we’ll be we’ll be here to recap it for you tomorrow Doug if you have any other points uh just raise your hand and I’ll get right to you if there’s any other points that you have H I’m doing it I’m doing it I’m no no other points all right that’s the end of the show thanks for making us your first listen we’re free and available anywhere you get your podcast and that includes YouTube where Doug is looking at you I’m raising something right now you can’t see it but I’m raising something right now your way that’s Doug Branson winning the staring contest with you you can find him on his substack every Hornets boox score.com I’m Walker mail listen to me WFNZ every weekday from 12: to 300 p.m. have a great rest of your day we’ll be back with you tomorrow to recap the de facto California classic championship [Music]

With other rookies playing well in Summer League, Walker and Doug discuss just how patient Hornets fans will need to be with Tidjane Salaun despite being picked 6th overall. How many meaningful minutes do you expect him to get this season? The guys transition into Summer League thoughts on Nick Smith Jr. and his improvement, whether Bryce McGowens has played well, and other rapid fire observations.

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://linktr.ee/lockedonhornets

Become an official member of the Locked On Hornets Sicko Brigade and get Hornets news, rumors and pictures of Byron Mullens sent directly to your phone via Subtext (14 Day Free Trial): https://joinsubtext.com/lockedonhornets

Locked On NBA League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, WNBA & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA

Get Doug’s gamenotes, special articles and a podcast on Hornets history at the Every Hornets Boxscore substack: everyhornetsboxscore.com

Get more Walker on Wes and Walker 12-3pm on WFNZ 92.7 FM

📲 Follow Locked On Hornets on Twitter
Locked On Hornets https://twitter.com/LockedOnHornets
Walker Mehl https://twitter.com/WalkerMehl
Doug Branson https://twitter.com/DougBransonLOH

📺 Follow Locked On NBA: https://linktr.ee/lockedonnba

📢 Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!

Stitch Fix
Style that makes you feel as good as you look—get started today at StitchFix.com/LOCKEDON

Grammarly
When it comes to writing, Grammarly is there to support you from start to finish. With one click, you can easily and easily brainstorm, rewrite, and reply with suggestions based on your context and goals. Go to grammarly.com/PODCAST to download for FREE today.

Nissan
Our friends at Nissan have a lineup of SUV’s with the capabilities to take your adventure to the next level. Take the Nissan Rogue, Nissan Pathfinder, or Nissan Armada and go find your next big adventure. Shop NissanUSA.com.

LinkedIn
LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNBA. Terms and conditions apply.

eBay Motors
For parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotos.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.

BetterHelp
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDONNBA today to get 10% off your first month.

PrizePicks
Go to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnba and use code lockedonnba for a first deposit match up to $100!

Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase.

FanDuel
Get buckets with your first bet on FanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning FIVE DOLLAR BET! That’s A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS – if your bet wins! Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

#Hornets #LaMelo #LaMeloBall