One Hornets player stood out in his summer league opener. Here’s what set him apart
Less than four minutes were left on the scoreboard inside the Thomas & Mack Center when Bryce McGowens took a seat on the bench, only to be summoned by Charlotte Hornets assistant summer league coach Nick Friedman.
Friedman wanted the Hornets’ rookie to slide back over to the other end of the bench, all so he could raise his right arm and aim a finger at certain positions on the floor. He was instructing the Hornets’ second-round pick, focusing on minor details McGowens needed to fine-tune during a 94-86 loss to Indiana in their Las Vegas Summer League opener on Friday.
“I feel like they are doing everything in their will to help me be the best player I can be,” McGowens said. “When I’m not on the floor, coach will call me. ‘Come here, let me talk to you real quick. Sit right beside me.’ And he points things out.
“And me going out on the court and executing, telling teammates what’s going on, I feel like that’s helping me be a leader and hopefully step into a big role one day.”
In his initial dip into the professional basketball pool, McGowens held his own and flashed some promising potential. Starting at shooting guard but switching between both backcourt positions throughout the game, McGowens logged more on-court time than anyone for the Hornets except his fellow starter in the backcourt, Jalen Crutcher. McGowens showed plenty of promise with a nifty performance, totaling 17 points, six rebounds and five assists in 31 minutes.
The 19-year-old was ready from the opening tip.
“It was crazy,” McGowens said. “Being able to step on the NBA court, in front of a lot of fans, a great group of fans, a lot of talent, we all had one dream and that’s to make it to the NBA. And we made it. So it was amazing, man, just being able to step on the court. It’s a lifelong dream to be here.”
McGowens’ talents intrigued the Hornets enough to make them trade up to select him in the draft. He led Nebraska in points in 2021-22, averaging 16.8 as a freshman to go with 5.2 rebounds, was named Big Ten newcomer of the year while garnering third-team All-Big Ten honors.
He established the Cornhuskers’ single-season freshman records for total points and made threes. The 17.3 points per game he poured in during Big Ten play was the highest scoring average in conference games by a freshman since D’Angelo Russell’s run at Ohio State in 2014-15.
Against the Pacers on Friday, McGowens showcased a variety of those same skills, including an ability to finish off the dribble and get to the rim, finishing it with a nice dunk.
“I think we had a pretty good idea of what he could do,” Hornets summer league coach Jordan Surenkamp said. “He did it obviously in college and he’s got a really high ceiling and a really bright future if he plays the way he did tonight.
“I think it’s just a testament to his mentality the last couple of weeks he’s come in. He’s bought into the role of kind of what we want him to be and play. Whether it’s scoring the ball for us, off the ball or being able to handle and make the correct reads on the ball.”
McGowens credits the growing relationship he’s developed with Surenkamp, the coach of the G League’s Greensboro Swarm last season. McGowens, who has signed a two-way contract and is going to be spending a lot of time in Greensboro, thinks that led to a smoother transition in his first game.
“I feel like over these past weeks, me and coach have definitely grown,” McGowens said. “He’s definitely been on me, been in my ear. But at the same time, being able to push me and be the best player I can be. So just having a coach like that get on me, and he’s going to be happy for me, it’s great. I just continue to build. I hope that translates to the next game and we get a win.”
He insists he’ll do his part on Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers — and beyond.
“I want to make winning plays and whatever we can do to win,” McGowens said. “I know we didn’t do that today. But just to make winning plays is the biggest thing. I feel like I want to do everything on the court. I don’t want to be one-dimensional. I want to be able to do it all, so I work on my game. And I’ve got a lot of help from the coaching staff and players to push me to do all of it.”
