{"id":205680,"date":"2026-07-20T15:49:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T19:49:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=205680"},"modified":"2026-07-20T15:49:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T19:49:52","slug":"hornets-summer-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/07\/20\/hornets-summer-league\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Hornets Summer League: Winners and Losers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2026 Hornets Summer Leagu<\/a>e offered clarity about the future of Charlotte. In five games, the young core in the post-LaMelo Ball<\/a> era showcased their upside and talent, while others failed to make a remarkable impression.<\/p>\n

This entire 2026 draft class in general has been a spectacle to watch. Here’s a breakdown of the biggest winners and losers from the Hornets’ Summer League in 2026.<\/p>\n

2026 Hornets Summer League: Winners and Losers<\/h2>\n

Winner: Hannes Steinbach<\/h3>\n

If you watched Hannes Steinbach<\/a> at all during the Summer League, you would have overwhelmingly positive thoughts about Steinbach’s future in the league. He nearly averaged a double-double (15.8 points and 9.2 rebounds) in roughly 24 minutes of action.<\/p>\n

Steinbach displayed great touch and finesse around the rim, showcasing his versatile capability on offense. His potential as an offensive hub on a roster lacking playmakers is encouraging. Even his defense looked better than advertised.<\/p>\n

Seeing a lineup featuring Steinbach and Moussa Diabate<\/a> will contend for the best rebounding duos in the NBA. If a shot doesn’t fall in on the first try, there’s a good chance that Charlotte will get another crack at it.<\/p>\n

Oh, and he can shoot beyond the arc.<\/p>\n

\n

Hannes Steinbach for THREE! \ud83d\udc4c pic.twitter.com\/bhdAqHEWDp<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 r\/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) July 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Winner: Liam McNeeley<\/h3>\n

Liam McNeeley<\/a> wasted no time breaking through in this year’s Summer League. The sophomore could not be stopped on opening night, dropping 28 points on 7-for-8 from three-point range.<\/p>\n

McNeeley made everything look easy and showed why he’s ready to be a part of the Charlotte Hornets for the foreseeable future. Wing depth behind Brandon Miller<\/a> is important, and McNeeley has earned his spot in the rotation.<\/p>\n

If you had to nitpick one part of McNeeley’s game, it’s the abundance of turnovers he had (13 TOs over three games). Even so, McNeeley is Exhibit A of what the development timeline<\/a> should look like for a young player.<\/p>\n

Winner: Michael Ajayi<\/h3>\n

Michael Ajayi<\/a> went undrafted in the 2026 NBA Draft and signed a two-way contract with the Hornets. There have been numerous players in NBA history who went undrafted and became notable after getting the opportunity. The Hornets just traded for one \u2014 Naz Reid<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Many fans weren’t aware of Ajayi, but he looked great in his first Summer League. Averaging 8.5 points on an efficient 55% shooting, along with 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 combined steals and blocks across four games, he outperformed every reasonable expectation for an undrafted rookie. The motor and upside as a good defender are there.<\/span><\/p>\n

Charles Lee may have found himself another diamond in the rough.<\/p>\n

\n

Michael Ajayi’s game is built on hustle and energy. In this possession, he shows good decisiveness and attacks the top foot following the jab step. pic.twitter.com\/hvzz72DPVB<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Richie (@richierandall) July 18, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Honorable Mention: Christian Anderson Jr.<\/h3>\n

Relative to expectations, it is hard to put Christian Anderson Jr.<\/a> in the winners’ bucket. When you’re touted as one of the best shooters in the 2026 NBA Draft, that skill should pop on screen. However, that wasn’t the case \u2014 as he shot 32% from the field and 21% from downtown in five appearances.<\/p>\n

There shouldn’t be an overreaction to the poor shooting numbers early on, but it should be duly noted. Anderson needs to get acclimated to the league, and his development will be key. He needs to find his shot to overcome size limitations and improve spacing within the offense.<\/p>\n

One of the most encouraging statistics from Summer League is that Anderson posted a 3.6 assist-to-turnover ratio over his last two games. If the Hornets sign a veteran point guard, be prepared to see Anderson get significant run in the G League.<\/p>\n

This shouldn’t ring off alarms, as McNeeley went through the same phase. But a year from now the hope is it isn’t a gigantic draft mistake<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Loser: Tidjane Salaun<\/h3>\n

While Tidjane Salaun<\/a> had some bright moments in the Summer League, there were an equal number of headscratchers. As a third-year player, the expectations are a tad bit higher.<\/p>\n

Salaun didn’t do enough to stand out<\/a> from his peers. The depth chart on Charlotte just got deeper, and Salaun may only see minutes due to an injury or a blowout game.<\/p>\n

With everyone else around him getting noticeably better, and Salaun seems to be stuck in neutral, it wouldn’t be shocking if Salaun wasn’t on this roster a year from now. We are in draft bust territory now.<\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

Loser: Sion James<\/h3>\n

The outlook on Sion James<\/a> before Summer League was that he was a stout 3-and-D wing. There was noise around James becoming a better ball handler and creator this offseason. He was featured as one in the first few games, and the experiment didn’t yield positive results.<\/p>\n

Having Sion on the ball translated to multiple turnovers against most players who aren’t regular starters or bench players in the NBA. This won’t get better against real competition.<\/p>\n

Not only that, but his three-pointer was non-existent. He shot a respectable 35.2% his rookie year. He thrives as a role player, so continuing to ask him to be a full-time point guard in the NBA is malpractice by Charlotte.<\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

Loser: Ryan Kalkbrenner<\/h3>\n

Ryan Kalkbrenner<\/a> came to Vegas looking to progress on the rookie year that saw him lead all rookies in blocks and post the NBA\u2019s fifth\u2011best field goal percentage. But as a traditional big with a defined role, he didn\u2019t showcase improvement in any skills or traits outside of the things the Hornets already know he\u2019s good at.<\/span><\/p>\n

He has a high floor, but his ceiling is capped. His lack of lateral agility and slower feet keep him grounded as a rotational player at best.<\/p>\n

Kalkbrenner’s shot-blocking skills were on full display, as he recorded 11 blocks through three games. He’s arguably the best rim protector on Charlotte, so at the end of the day, minutes will be available for the sophomore big.<\/p>\n

Photo Credit:\u00a0 Jim Dedmon, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 2026 Hornets Summer League offered clarity about the future of Charlotte. In five games, the young core in the post-LaMelo Ball era showcased their upside and talent, while others failed to make a remarkable impression. This entire 2026 draft class in general has been a spectacle to watch. Here’s a breakdown of the biggest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5878,"featured_media":205732,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,7,62,3],"tags":[50396,49784,50520,4659,50521,50291,49238],"class_list":["post-205680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-hornets","category-nba","category-news","tag-hannes-steinbach","tag-liam-mcneeley","tag-michael-ajayi","tag-moussa-diabate","tag-ryan-kalkenbrenner","tag-sion-james","tag-tidjane-salaun"],"modified_by":"Daniel Benjamin, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5878"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205680"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205680\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":205739,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205680\/revisions\/205739"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/205732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}