Charlotte is holding some players back from extra preseason minutes while they're built up, Charles Lee said, without naming them: "they're probably not ready for those extra minutes." Rotations: part experiment, part "these are the healthy bodies that we have."
Michael Ajayi earned minutes in Charlotte's Oct. 6 preseason loss. Hornets coach Charles Lee praised his defensive versatility but said the role will be split with the G League affiliate: "He's going to have opportunity with the Hornets, but also in Greensboro too."
Naz Reid is attacking mismatches for Charlotte to collapse defenses, but Hornets coach Charles Lee said after the Oct. 6 preseason loss: "There's times where he sped up and trying to go too far, too fast, and not allowing our spacing to correct around him."
"I want to prove that I can stick in this league." Liam McNeeley had 14 points and 6 turnovers in Charlotte's Oct. 6 preseason loss. Charles Lee said he's "getting some more opportunities" but needs to focus on defense. Asked about McNeeley's roster spot, Lee gave no detail.
Dennis Schroder's German national team film is in the Hornets' playbook: coach Charles Lee said the staff studied it to add plays Schroder is comfortable in. Asked if Coby White's workload will be managed like LaMelo Ball's last season, Lee wouldn't commit.
Ruled out of Charlotte's Oct. 6 preseason game, Brandon Miller and Christian Anderson got hurt in practice and are day-to-day, coach Charles Lee said. Coby White is rehabbing a training-camp injury, no timeline. Lee: "other guys get the chance to play."
Liam McNeeley and Tidjane Salaun will move between lineups and roles for Charlotte on Oct. 6, coach Charles Lee said, citing consistent offseasons: "putting them in some situations to be creators, to be screeners, to have to guard certain people."
Naz Reid says Charlotte wants an "all-around game" from him: ball handling, scoring, post work, creating, defending. He's "playing a lot more minutes now." He, Dennis Schroder, Royce O'Neale and Grayson Allen are being put "through the fire" in preseason.
"I need y'all to get buckets. I got everything else." Day'Ron Sharpe said he's told Egor Demin, Michael Porter Jr., Mikel Brown Jr. and Julius Randle to handle the Nets' scoring, and promised full-court pressure: "We're gonna be straight dogs."