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Andrew Schlecht
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Andrew Schlecht
Good morning and welcome to the Athletic NBA Daily. I'm your host, Andrew Schlecht. On today's show, we're talking about the Charlotte Hornets. And I can promise you everybody's sitting at home. You don't know as much about the Charlotte Hornets as you think you do. And we're going to learn from my guy, Richie Randall today who hosts the Buzz Beat podcast, which is the the best Hornets podcast. It just is. And so go check it out today. You can follow Richie on Twitter at Richie Randall. Richie, thanks for coming on, man.
Richie Randall
Thanks for having me. And I'm surprised you didn't introduce the defending summer league champions Good call.
Andrew Schlecht
Really good call. That was a fun summer league team. We can, we can actually start there. What was the most surprising thing from summer league for, for Hornets fans?
Richie Randall
That they won?
Andrew Schlecht
No, if they won something.
Richie Randall
Yeah. It's funny, a lot of the fans here in Charlotte gravitated towards the summer league championship. I don't know if they were doing it like ironically, like, wow, we won. Let's, let's put up in the arena type of deal. But yeah, but the most surprising thing is just how the team played together. Obviously con canipple is, is a highlight player that you knew was going to stand out with the Hornets. I think T. John Salon out of all players made some jumps that kind of surprised you because he was pretty bad in his rookie season. Ryan Cockburner, the second round pick. So just in terms of like the surprise factor, like, I, I was not expecting them to, to make the run that they made. I was thinking that they weren't going to be the final four team. They were maybe win one or two games and they were able to do it too with a lot of injuries as well, which is obviously a very pertinent thing when you're talking about the Hornets with McNeely being out. Khan I think missed one game in summer league. So you know, them, them coming together and gelling as a team and hopefully that's like a, a sign of things to come with the culture and just, you know, not having one guy stand out. It was a lot of guys that pitched in.
Andrew Schlecht
Yeah. When I think about this team, I'm curious from your, your perspective, how would you rank the current like prospects that they have on their team? Like guys that are still in rookie scale deals. Like, how would you rank these guys out from what you know about them today?
Richie Randall
Okay, let me think about this. I think, you know, I think Brandon Miller has to be up there as the, as the top guy.
Andrew Schlecht
Yeah.
Richie Randall
You know what makes him so exciting is the shooting. The Hornets offense last year was, was such a, a painful thing to watch on that end of the court. They, they struggled getting paint touches. They weren't able to collapse the defense. And I think with Brandon, he creates that spacing and when he went down last year, like there was no one on the court, they didn't have a shooter that could stretch the floor. So I think out of all the young guys, he's the guy that I probably point to first and I think with him coming into the season, not sure if you're aware of this, but he's coming off a wrist injury. To his right wrist. He recently made a the Charlotte observer with actually a high school beat writer, which was interesting how they connected. But he said he's, his Wrist is about 90, 95% okay on his shooting wrist, which I think is, is interesting. You know, knowing that's his best asset as a player, that, that should be interesting moving forward. I think Con Knippel has got to be up there as well, number two. And you know, I, I, I think him and he's, he's going to be one of these guys where he's going to be like, if you're on the outside or you're not watching the Hornets every day, I don't think his impact will show. But if you're paying attention to, to the Hornets and to Con Knipple, if for whatever reason you want to like, I think there's a lot of things about his game that stand out in terms of his impact. I think the first thing people think about with Khan is his shooting. Right. Like he can read screens well. There's going to be a lot of things that Charles Lee can do to diagram like shooting off movement for him. He's got a smooth and quick release and he's clearly a shooter. But I think the reason I say he might fly under the radar a little bit, like he can handle the ball. He, he is not a guy that's going to get sped up. He can play out of the pick and roll in Vegas. He did a very good job of manipulating the defense with his eyes and we saw that a lot in the summer league and he's just going to make the right play nine times out of ten. So do I expect him to be the rookie of the year candidate? No, because he's not that type of player. He's not a guy that's going to go get buckets if you need him. And on a, on a team with Lamelo, like, he's going to take a back seat at times. So he's never going to be this guy that's like over athletic or over Bursty. But I think he's had to learn how to play the game because of that and it's paid off. And I think he knows a lot of the nuances of the game. So those are the two guys that stand out to me in terms of the younger players.
Andrew Schlecht
Yeah.
Richie Randall
Mellow obviously is not on a rookie contract. I mean, who else is, who else is on the rookie contract? I think this, well, I guess T. John Salon would be number three for me, but.
Andrew Schlecht
Okay, yeah, but McNeely McNeely.
Richie Randall
I just haven't seen enough of him to know. I, I don't really watch too much college basketball and like I mentioned before, in summer league, he got injured. I think this is some of the same qualities as, you know, con canipple, but just at a lower level. So he's an interesting guy. He's definitely an interesting guy. The one thing that stood out to me after looking at some film and looking at the numbers and watching him in Vegas, very good rebounder for his size. Very good. And that, that's going to allow the Hornets to kind of push the pace a little bit more. Knowing that you don't always have to have a guy that grabs the rebound, passes it to the point guard. He's a guy that could push up the pace well. So actually, now that you mentioned him, maybe he's a slight tick above Salon, but that's just because Lawn's like a raw prospect, right?
Andrew Schlecht
Yeah, yeah, that's. That would probably be how I would rank it. I like, I like Liam McNeely. I just think he's a guy that. He's a glue guy. He can do a lot of different things. He's super competitive. He played on that team with Cooper Flag and Derek Queen and he oftentimes looked like the man when he played for them, which is clearly not the case. But like, he just knows how to orchestrate an offense even from his position. And he was, he had to do that a lot more in college. He also was dealing with injury in college. That made him look a little bit worse, which is probably helpful to the Hornets in acquiring him. What, what do you expect from, from Salon? Because he was pick six in the draft just a year ago and he's six foot nine prospect. I have personally, with what I've seen, extremely low expectations for him as a player. I don't really know what, like the, I don't know what's. What's like the hope for him even. What's the idea of what he's supposed to be. Help fill that in for me.
Richie Randall
The idea, yeah, he is much of an idea right now because he's a multi year project. And I think what that worked against him last year, he was not, I wouldn't think, I know that he was a lottery pick, a high pick or whatever you want to call it. He was not expected to play as much as he did last year. And so I think a lot of his deficiencies were exposed because he had to play big minutes, which maybe is a good thing. You know, heading into his sophomore year having that experience. But I think the goal was for him to play in the Greensboro Swarm. I think the role with him is like this three and D type of energy guy. Problem is like he's got to get one of those at least solid before you can start adding to the other. Like a lot of his shots last year were just so ugly, so ugly. They, they just miss completely off the rim and it makes you think, wow, like he's got a lot of ways to go on that end of the court in terms of shooting, a lot of refining on that end. He's very, he's very eager, I can tell you that much. Like he's a very eager player. He is enthusiastic when he makes it. When he makes a three, it seems like he made a three for the first time in his life. But I think one thing in summer league that we're hoping kind of translates into year two, year three is just being more comfortable with the ball in his hands and attacking the rim. You know, we talk about muscle watch a lot. I think that he put on some weight with his, with his strength and it's just his sturdiness and that does well. You know, that helps him, you know, attacking the paint and withstanding contact. So I thought that was very notable in summer league. I think the thing is like if he never, if he never develops a consistent three point shot, then you can't use that to work off the closeouts and you can't use that to keep a defense honest. So that is the hope. 3&D high energy, enthusiastic guy. And the thing is, Grant Williams is going to be out for the first several months of the year, so he's going to have an opportunity to get some playing time.
Andrew Schlecht
Only.
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Andrew Schlecht
So we've talked about the young guys, which is probably the thing that I'm most excited about and why we. And that's why we started there. But this, this season for the Hornets kind of rests at the feet of lamelo ball, who has made an all star team. And that was the last time that he played, you know, 75 games. He made the all star team. Amazing. He's played 36, 22, 47, which is just not going to get you where you want to go if you are a professional basketball team. He's an incredible player. I think people he's probably underrated at this point just because he hasn't played all that much these last three seasons. A lot of people think he's empty calories. I don't know that I really believe that he's like truly empty calories. I would love to hear your opinion on that. I think he needs to play like this guy needs to play. And I don't if he can't even going into the year four of not being able to play a lot, I don't know what the Hornets do. So all that to say, do you think he's empty calories? And then how many games would you predict that we get to see of lamello ball this year?
Richie Randall
So I think he's empty calories. I think. I think in some ways he is maybe not. I mean, he's just a very polarizing player even here in Charlotte. Like there's people that just can't stand them. There are people here in Charlotte that defend them. I fall somewhere in the middle. You know, you mentioned it like it's the health. It's going to come down to the health. That's the biggest question mark. And if he wants to be considered underrated, that's fine. If he wants to be considered a top 30, 40 player in the NBA, great. But if he never plays more than 50% of his games, like I don't I don't think you can even have that conversation with Lamelo, so. And the one thing with Lamelo, like, he's one of those guys where he's just very different the way that he plays. And he's not a guy that I foresee, and it may be I'm wrong, that wants to improve on the margins, like his strength. And maybe he can't build strength. Maybe that's just part of his frame. There are things about his game like a shot selection, like, you wish he would tone that down a little bit, but I'm not sure that ever happens. He's like, he's. He's a type of player that what you saw in the first handful of years you're probably going to get this upcoming year. He is obviously very skilled offensively. He jump starts Charlotte's offense. He keeps defenses honest in terms of being able to shoot from deep. He's just a very dramatic and different type of player. And obviously he sets his teammates up well because he's just so good with. With the way that he can pass the ball as well. I mean, defensively, I just don't think he's going to improve that much. He's very much a work in progress, usually stashed on lower usage guys. And I think that gives him a chance to roam a little bit more, which I think maybe he likes because he can kind of anticipate passes just like he. You know, he anticipates passes on the offensive end. So, yeah, the biggest question mark is health in terms of what I am predicting for the number games. I mean, I. I hate to say it, but like, 55, like, that's. That I feel like is just. Even on the optimistic end sometimes, that feels like it's. It's. Right.
Andrew Schlecht
Yeah. You. You think they try to move on from him then? Because it just. It just feels like maybe they've just kind of reached the end of the road here where you're, like, trying to build around this guy. He's become more of a celebrity than he is a basketball player at this point. Like, my kids, who are like 11 and 13 years old, like, all of the. Like, they. They love this guy. Like, he is just like he's a celebrity to kids at summer league. You're looking around. He showed up to summer league and the crowd was more focused on him being in the building than the. The game was going on. There are other NBA players wandering around, but he's got the attention of everybody. There's just something about him that everybody loves. But I just wonder if it's probably, if it's time to move on and like really just start to build around Brandon Miller at this point and, you know, build. Continue to build through the draft, which it feels like they've been doing for forever.
Richie Randall
Yeah, that's definitely a conversation that's popped up in my mind. It's, it's one of those debates where if you wait too long and you kind of experience more seasons where he's not playing, then doesn't that just kind of defeat the value of trying to trade him? I, you know, I think the conversation could have been had this offseason. And there's a part of me that wonders like, if he's not really a Jeff Peterson, Charles Lee type of player. They go after like hard nosed, blue collar, like high energy guys. Lamelo is more like a fluid type of guy. He's not going to bang. Not to say he doesn't play hard, but it's just the way that you, you watch him play doesn't really scream what they've been trying to acquire. So I'm with you, Andrew. I, I definitely think there's a conversation to be had. I guess it all comes down to like, if he starts playing well and he's healthy, then maybe the Hornets just hold on to him. If he doesn't play well or he's injured, I just wonder what the value is out there. I don't know if the top of my head, how many more years it is. Like three more years, I think, on his contract. And who, who wants to take that on if it's a guy that is injury prone. Do your kids, when they mention the word mellow, do they think Lamelo or do they think Carmelo?
Andrew Schlecht
It's so sad that you mentioned this because it's definitely Lamelo because I'll say mellow because he just was inducted in the hall of Fame and I'll, I'll mention his name and they'll, they think I'm talking about Lamelo ball and my son has like three pairs of, of Lamelo ball shoes. And it is, it is so sad that I can't, I have to say which mellow it is. Like, guys, come on now. There's only one mellow here. There's only one mellow.
Richie Randall
Yeah, I'm with you.
Andrew Schlecht
Okay. This is, this is my kind of philosophy on losing teams and a, in a way to kind of stealth tank. Not that the Hornets need to stealth tank. They've just been kind of tanking. But a way to stealth tank is, is Basically to not employ any legitimate centers. And I think the Thunder did this in their couple years that they tanked and you know, the, the Hornets, and to their credit, they sold really high on both of their centers to the Suns. I applaud both of those moves. But the, the center position is Diabate Mason Plumlee, Kalkbrenner that you mentioned earlier. Like, he's, he's basically like, he has to be good this year in my opinion, like, if he's actually going to make it in the NBA, like you're gonna see that he could play this year because he's old enough to. But I'm just curious your. Your thoughts on the center position overall and like, who, who's gonna, who are we gonna see fulfilling that position? Because I, I just think it's most likely going to lead to more losses for the Hornets.
Richie Randall
That's funny you mentioned that maybe this was part of the grander plan that they were just trying to. Okay, let's pick one position where we can just stealth tank and let's. Yeah, it's definitely the biggest question mark. It's definitely the biggest question mark and I think why it provides such a healthy debate in Charlotte is because none of these guys are like head and shoulders above the others. Like, you can make a case for Plumlee starting, you know, that veteran presence starting games in a positive way. He probably hasn't changed much in the handful of years since we last saw him in Charlotte. He's going to be very good with his passing and his dho, but he's not going to be much of a, of a spacer in stretching the court. So I think if you want a veteran that competes, you start off with Mason. That's not my preference, but I can see why that would be the argument there. My preference is Moussa Diabate. Like, he's a guy that exceeded expectations last season, still has room to grow. You know, like Plumlee, he's not going to stretch the court in any way, but he's a, he's much more of a fluid type of player. Very active in the pick and roll game, even if he's not always the guy that's on the receiving end of those lobs. Like Mark Williams was, I think his biggest asset. Kind of like what I was mentioning earlier with Jeff Peterson, kind of targeting these guys that are high energy effort players. He was one of the better offensive rebounding players in all the league, not just, you know, Charlotte, like all of the league last year. And obviously that's a very specialized skill. But it's very useful. I think he might be penciled in as the starter. But then you mentioned Ryan Cockburner. Like, he's a little bit older, 34th overall pick here. He has an interesting profile. And when you think about the centers that Charles Lee has worked with, Brook Lopez in Milwaukee, Luke Cornett in Boston, what did they both have in common with Kalkbrenner other than being white? They have a defined role. They have a defined role of being a top coverage center. And I think that's what maybe Charles Lee was looking for in Ryan Cockburn or, like, just being a massive player that takes up, you know, space and kind of deterring shots at the rim. So, you know, he is going to be an interesting conversation moving forward. Maybe he's a guy that we start seeing minutes, you know, January, February. So I say Moussa starts, but there's an opportunity for Ron Kalkburner to get minutes. But if you made the case that Mason Plumlee starting, I don't think I could really argue that just because it's. These guys don't have, like, a head and shoulder skill above the others.
Andrew Schlecht
So a guy we haven't mentioned yet, and he played the most minutes for this team last year, he had the highest usage rate of the guys who played the most last year. And he is probably a guy that's. People don't talk about him because it's uncomfortable to talk about him for the most part. And that's Miles Bridges. Good player. Like, you look at his stats and it's like, yeah, I mean, like, he, he, he put up big numbers last year. I mean, bigger numbers than what people would imagine. 20 points, seven and a half boards, almost four assists per game. His game is clearly growing in ways. But I'm just curious as, like, where are the Hornets with regards to him? He's got two years left on his contract. How devoted to Miles Bridges do you think the Hornets are at this point?
Richie Randall
I actually think they value him, I think. Well, first off, because, like you mentioned, like, he's one of the more available guys. Like, like, that speaks volumes to, to the, the front office. He's one of those guys because there's been a lot of injuries around him. His role has shifted. And so over the years he's had more opportunities to play with the ball in his hands. And so maybe that's opened up some skills in terms of his playmaking, which I think gets overlooked at times. So he's had a chance to play with the ball in his hands and, and maybe his minutes and his points are a little bit inflated because of that. But I don't think moving forward, the Hornets view him as a guy that is that type of player. Like, you don't want him to be your primary ball handler. Like, that's not the best way to maximize this roster.
Andrew Schlecht
Yep.
Richie Randall
And he's not really a movement shooter. He's better when he's like cutting and rolling and working off handoffs. That's where he's the most dangerous. So I think they probably view him more as like a third or fourth starter defensively. You know, he's. He's shown some growth on that end because coming into the league on ball, off ball, he had some lapses. I feel like he's doing a better job on ball. He's tightened that up a little bit. Where he really pops is like his ability to be like a weak side shot blocker. So to me, the question mark with Bridges is his role. Like, does he have to take on that load as an offensive player, which I don't think is best for the roster or that means there's a lot of injuries coming our way. I think the other question mark is his jumper, like the three point shot is very streaky. He's. He's had better success from the corners, but I feel like he plays better in the middle of the court. So it's kind of like a catch 22 there. You know, you don't want him just like standing in the corner hoping for the team to collapse and kick it out to him. I think you get him involved in pick and roll situations and, and you get him in the middle of the court. So if he can get that percentage up to 35%, I think maybe he's going to be viewed even higher in this organization. And that kind of unlocks a little bit more with his game. But yeah, I just think that the injuries have kind of forced him into a role that he probably shouldn't be playing.
Andrew Schlecht
Yeah. Do you see Brandon Miller as being more of a three or a four? Let's say like whenever he reaches his prime.
Richie Randall
Brandon Miller, you say three or four. Like three or four option or like the, the position wise?
Andrew Schlecht
The position, yeah. Is he. Is he. Is he more of a wing or do you think he could play the power forward position?
Richie Randall
Yeah, I think he's more of a three. I think his, I think just kind of limits him on that end in terms of just, you know, being a guy that. That can't finish at the rim because of his lack of strength or being Able to stop guys that are, you know, a little bit bigger than he is. Yeah.
Andrew Schlecht
Okay, that makes sense. Okay. I'm just thinking of terms of like long term fit with bridges if there's a, if there's a fit there. I love Brandon Miller because the dude like he understands his, what he's supposed to do and what his skills are so well. The guy takes 10 threes a game like that, that just gets me, it just gets me really excited whenever guys like understand like the value of the three point shot and are just gonna let it fly and we're near the kind of shooter that he is. I, I just think that it's really cool to see guys, especially that young, like find ways. It's, it's hard to not only take 10 threes a game, but to like find them within the flow of the offense is not an easy thing to do. I know that you probably would like to see a little bit better percentage than what we saw in his 27 games last year, but I just love the fact that he is finding that many threes.
Richie Randall
I do agree to a certain extent. I think that Charles Lee has kind of brought that out of him because of the offense that he's coming from in Boston in just terms of like 3 point volume. So like that increased volume from his rookie season to a sophomore season was pretty, pretty eye popping there in terms of that. I do think that like his mid range shot still needs to be part of his game and that, that was, that went by the wayside like his, his rookie year. He was very good from that and I think that gives him a counter to when teams do run him off the line. And I think it's the biggest question question mark for me is, is can he at least balance that out a little bit? Because that kind of disappeared and especially for a guy like I mentioned before, who doesn't have the strength to finish at the rim. Yeah, you need a second level. Okay. Three pointer and mid range. Those two spots I feel like Brandon Miller can feast in. So am I expecting him to shoot 10 three pointers again this upcoming season? Probably in that range, but I just, I just don't want that mid range shot to go by the wayside.
Andrew Schlecht
Yeah, you did a podcast about this. I think it was last week or maybe the week before, but you broke down like who you think could start at the two guard position for this team and they have a lot of options. None of them like jump out at me as to like what should happen if I'm, if I'm Them, I'd probably just start Khan because he's more of a glue guy than the rest of these guys are. But I think we'll kind of find out, like, philosophy with regards to the, you know, management, coaching staff, all of that. If he starts, I think it's a. It's a good sign. I think that it's all moving the right direction for them, but they have other guys, they have a lot of other candidates that could start for them. But what. What would you expect to see on opening night for the Hornets at the two guard position?
Richie Randall
What I expect, what I want are probably two different things. I'm with you. I think my personal preference is for Khan to start just because he's so malleable in terms of who he can play with, you know, playing next to Lamella Ball, next to Brandon Miller, and I feel as if he's the guy that I would start. But also coming in as a rookie, maybe you come off the bench and kind of work your way into the starting role. Yeah, the. The one area on the Hornets roster where there's just, like, too much depth is the guard position with Josh Green, Colin Sexton, Spencer Dinwiddie was signed, and I think a lot of people are thinking that Sexton might be the starter at the 2. But also when you look at that lineup, like Ball, Sexton, Miller, Bridges, and maybe Diabate, that feels a little bit undersized. And I made a mention of this on that specific episode, like the Hornets defensive guard, like the. The guards on defense, like, there's not great pairings that you can put together that will be, you know, passable. But at least with Khan there, like, you have some height, you have some bulk, you have a guy that's going to compete. Ball and Sexton are guys that you just want to hide on players.
Andrew Schlecht
Yeah.
Richie Randall
You know, having two guys in the backcourt that can't defend and be an impact player on that end causes for some issues on the back end. So I think if I had to guess, opening day Sexton, if I wanted to be like the coach, I would start Khan. But I can see the. The argument for both. And, you know, Khan is, like I said, malleable. So he could play in the second unit if, if you wanted to as well. But yeah, I just think that Khan is the best guy to kind of place in there because then all the other positions around him can be whatever.
Andrew Schlecht
Yeah, yeah. Starting Colin Sex. And another stealth tanking move, I would say, for the. For the Hornets. Okay, last question. What's the most Realistic outcome. In my mind it's we're taking another trip to the lottery. But in your mind like where the Hornets end up at the end of the season.
Richie Randall
Yeah, you are pretty spot on there. Like I think if you're being optimistic, I don't think it's unreasonable to think that maybe they can compete for those top 10 seeds and we're not top 10, but like seven through 10, you know, being, being the play in spot there. I don't think I would blame anyone for having those thoughts here in Charlotte just because maybe they're, they're wanting that to happen. But I think if you actually like take a step back and look at this team, I just don't know if this team could stay afloat with Grant Williams and his absence to start the season.
Andrew Schlecht
Yeah.
Richie Randall
Oh, that's a, that's a big miss that like that's a big hole there in the four position and being a small ball five as well. So for me to be more realistic about this, I think this team finishes behind the teams like the Bucks and the Pacers and the Celtics and the Heat and all those teams, you know, the Bulls and the Raptors as well. Like they're going to be competing with those guys for the 11th or 12th spot. Despite some of those like, you know, roster concerns with those other teams and the injury concerns with the other teams in the East. I still think Charlotte finishes behind those guys and I think that's okay. I think they're building for the long term future here and they aren't willing to risk some kind of win now move or short term gain for just for them to make the play in. And Jeff Peterson, as I mentioned before, like he said on multiple occasions that they are trying to build a sustainable winner and maybe they're trying to model it after OKC and you know, they're, they're compiling assets and they'll make a move when it's right. I just don't think this season is the right time to make that move in my opinion. So I think Charlotte. I don't really know if I've really made an official prediction on Buzz Beat, but I'll say anywhere from 28 to 30 wins for Charlotte and finishing around the 12th spot in the East.
Andrew Schlecht
Yeah, the ultimate life raft would be getting Darren Peterson in the draft next year. And then you can, then you can ship Lamella ball off somewhere else and let, let Darren take the point guard reigns like that. That would be ideal. Like that. If we're talking about an ideal outcome for the Hornets to me, that one makes the most sense. I think just getting a fresh start with, with a guy that can hopefully be healthy makes the most sense. So that's, that's what I hope for you and for the Buzzbeat podcast is that you guys get a prospect like Darren Peterson. Anything else that you want to promote before we get out of here? I know that you have a lot of different Hornets content going on right now. So tell, tell us what, what else we can look out for?
Richie Randall
Yeah, first off, give us a follow on social media at Buzzbeat Pod. Give me a follow at Richie Randall. Media day is around the corner, so I'll have you guys covered there in terms of if you're interested in any kind of Hornets quotes or videos. That's going to be coming up in about a week and a half. You know, we have Buzzbee plus, which is a private feed. I'm not sure many of your listeners really care to pay for to listen to performance episodes, but that is out there if you'd like. But I guess the easiest thing, like if you guys are in the mood, just go give us a five star rating and review on Apple podcasts or Spotify. So that would be the biggest support that you guys could give us.
Andrew Schlecht
Go check it out. I'm a firm believer in listening to local podcasts if you really want to know what's going on with other teams. And so maybe you're not a fan of the Hornets, but you're a fan of the Knicks. I would say before the, the Knicks are, you know, play the Hornets. Go listen to the buzzbeat Pod. Like stop in, you know, to find out what's going on with them so you can have a good idea of what you're about to see. So go check Richie out. Great stuff. Been doing it for years. My favorite Hornets follow for sure. So go check him out. Appreciate you guys listening. We'll continue with are all of these preseason pods. We're going to cover every single team, so be sure to lock in. You can Watch these on YouTube. You can listen to them on your podcast catcher. We really appreciate you guys listening and we'll talk to you guys again next time.
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Date: September 25, 2025
Host: Andrew Schlecht
Guest: Richie Randall (Buzz Beat Podcast)
Timestamp references are in MM:SS format
This episode centers on the Charlotte Hornets, exploring the team's direction, their crop of young prospects, and, most provocatively, whether it's time to trade franchise cornerstone LaMelo Ball. Host Andrew Schlecht welcomes Richie Randall, host of the Buzz Beat podcast and Charlotte Hornets expert, for an in-depth discussion about the Hornets' roster, team-building philosophy, organizational outlook, and the complexities swirling around injured star LaMelo Ball.
[02:35]
The Hornets' unexpected Summer League championship prompted fan excitement (both genuine and ironic), but the real surprise was their cohesive team play despite injuries.
Notable young standouts in Vegas: Con Knipple, T. John Salon (improved vastly over rookie year), and 2nd-rounder Ryan Kalkbrenner.
"Them coming together and gelling as a team... not having one guy stand out, it was a lot of guys that pitched in."
— Richie Randall [03:17]
[04:11 – 08:49]
Richie’s prospect rank (rookie contracts):
"The goal was for [Salon] to play in the Greensboro Swarm... his deficiencies were exposed because he had to play big minutes, which maybe is a good thing."
— Richie Randall [09:05]
[12:32 – 16:30]
Availability issues: Games played over last 3 seasons (36, 22, 47). Health is the overriding concern.
On-court impact: "Polarizing" in Charlotte—some see him as empty stats ("empty calories"), others see a unique offensive engine.
Defensive weaknesses likely to remain, but undeniable passing and offensive skillset.
Prediction: Richie expects "optimistically" about 55 games played for LaMelo this year.
"If he never plays more than 50% of his games... I don't think you can even have that conversation with LaMelo."
— Richie Randall [14:21]
[15:36 – 18:16]
Both agree the trade conversation is timely with Ball's injuries and the organization's philosophical shift under new leadership (Jeff Peterson/Charles Lee).
LaMelo’s "celebrity" eclipses his play at this point for younger fans.
Waiting too long could erode his value; hard-nosed, high-energy player archetype now preferred organizationally.
"If you wait too long and experience more seasons where he's not playing, then doesn't that just kind of defeat the value of trying to trade him?"
— Richie Randall [16:36]
[18:19 – 21:55]
Hornets’ center spot perceived as a soft spot ("stealth tanking"); no incumbent clear-cut starter.
Candidates: Mason Plumlee (steady vet), Moussa Diabate (active offensive rebounder—Randall's preference), Ryan Kalkbrenner (rookie, profile fits coach Charles Lee’s system).
Each brings a different, but limited, set of skills; none is a sure thing.
"My preference is Moussa Diabate... one of the better offensive rebounding players in all the league... But it's very useful."
— Richie Randall [20:51]
[21:55 – 24:42]
Bridges posted strong stats (20 pts, 7.5 reb, ~4 ast) but is not considered a primary creator going forward.
Hornets likely see him as a third/fourth starter, ideally excelling as a finisher, cutter, and weakside defender—not a focal point.
"I don't think moving forward, the Hornets view him as a guy that is that type of player. Like, you don't want him to be your primary ball handler."
— Richie Randall [23:09]
[24:42 – 26:02]
Miller is projected more as a "three" (SF), lacking physical strength to defend bigs or finish consistently at the rim.
His high 3-point volume (10 attempts per game) is praised, though Richie notes the value of maintaining his mid-range arsenal as a needed counter.
"It just gets me really excited whenever guys understand the value of the three-point shot and are just gonna let it fly, and we’re near the kind of shooter that he is."
— Andrew Schlecht [25:22]
[27:01 – 29:36]
Deep, murky battle at shooting guard: Khan Knipple, Josh Green, Colin Sexton, Spencer Dinwiddie among options.
Richie’s vote: Knipple "so malleable." Likely outcome: Sexton, but starting Knipple is a strong chemistry/future-building signal.
Concern: Defensive pairings in the backcourt are weak.
"My personal preference is for Khan to start just because he's so malleable... But also coming in as a rookie, maybe you come off the bench and kind of work your way into the starting role."
— Richie Randall [27:56]
[29:36 – 32:18]
Realistically, Hornets are lottery-bound (projected 28–30 wins, ~12th seed in East), especially with Grant Williams out early and roster/unreliable health.
Organizational patience: New leadership aims for sustainable winning, stockpiling assets and avoiding win-now desperation.
"I think Charlotte... finishes around the 12th spot in the East."
— Richie Randall [31:26]
Dream scenario:
"The ultimate life raft would be getting Darren Peterson in the draft next year. Then you can ship LaMelo Ball off somewhere else and let Darren take the point guard reins."
— Andrew Schlecht [31:35]
The discussion is honest, realistic, and openly skeptical of quick-fix approaches. Richie Randall's Hornets expertise and on-the-ground perspective provide essential nuance for fans and league observers. Both he and Andrew Schlecht see the franchise at a crossroads: building patiently through youth while grappling with the major question of whether LaMelo Ball’s stardom translates to sustainable winning — or if it's time to pivot away entirely.
To follow Hornets insights from Richie Randall, check out Buzz Beat Podcast (@BuzzBeatPod) and follow him on Twitter (@RichieRandall).