Despite its overall irrelevance in the grand scheme of the NBA, preseason is an interesting time of the year. It certainly was for the Charlotte Hornets.
Some rosters are largely unchanged from the previous season, and some teams start five players who have never appeared in a single game together. Some players give 100% effort right off the bat, while others give... not so much.
Those factors make anything that happens in preseason much harder to evaluate than, let's say, a four-game stretch of regular-season games. Still, however much weight you want to put on preseason appearances, you have to take something from them.
That's what this article is for at the end of the day. We will be taking a look at the three Hornets whose stock rose and plummeted the most based on their preseason performances. To save the best for last, starting us off will be the three most disappointing players:
The Stock Droppers:
Honorable Mention: Naz Reid
3. Dennis Schröder
Preseason Stats: 4.8pts 2.8rbs 2.8ast 1.5tos 25 3PT%
The expectations for Dennis Schröder weren't high going into this four-game stretch, but it's safe to say he has been a little underwhelming early on. Despite the low shot volume, he still found a way to be generally inefficient.
Never a great jumpshooter, Schröder's struggles to score from range have really left their mark on the Hornets' streaky offense. Similarly to honorable mentee Naz Reid, the fact that Schröder is a new acquisition has to be taken into consideration.
2. Brandon Miller
Preseason Stats: 16.3pts 2.7rbs 3.0ast 2.0tos 31.8FG%
It couldn't have been easy for Brandon Miller to find consistency this preseason. No Kon Knueppel, no Coby White, only one game of Grayson Allen. There was certainly a lot of offensive firepower unavailable. And not to forget that Miller had shoulder surgery this offseason.
Still, he is supposed to be the leading scorer and best self-creator on this team going forward. There was very little of that to be seen in the past few games.
Miller barely got to the rim, and when he did manage to slice to the cup, he still missed more often than not. Even when his injured co-stars return, the 23-year-old will have to be able to go and get his own in certain situations.
1. Ryan Kalkbrenner
Preseason Stats: 3.8pts 3.3rbs 0ast 1.5tos 1.0blk
Ryan Kalkbrenner was never going to be an exceptionally skilled defensive big man. The Hornets knew this when they drafted him. But the lack of improvement on that end over his NBA career has been worrying to see, and it continued throughout this preseason.
Yes, Kalkbrenner will grab an occasional offensive rebound and generally finishes at a high percentage. But getting him into a position where he feels comfortable attempting a shot seemed almost impossible in each of the four games, partly because he simply doesn't work as a roll man with Charlotte's far-from-great playmakers.
Then there's also the fact that he didn't record a single assist and continues to have turnovers that you don't usually see from a soon-to-be 25-year-old NBA player.
Alas, the one thing he consistently brings to the table is what Charlotte needs so desperately. That's rim protection and deterrence. And as long as the Hornets don't have anyone else who can help out in that department, there will be a place for Kalkbrenner in the rotation.
But it's fair to assume he will be used much more situationally than last season.
The Stock Risers
Honorable Mention: Grayson Allen
3. Liam McNeeley
Preseason Stats: 9.3pts 2.0rbs 2.0ast 2.3tos 40% 3PT
McNeeley had a fantastic Summer League, which led some to believe he'd be about to take a huge jump. That hasn't quite been the case in the preseason, but it's clear the former UCONN Huskie is a better player than he was last season.
The three-point shooting continues to stand out, but McNeeley has added physicality to his game, as well as some playmaking and on-ball chops. There are still lots of improvements to be made, especially when it comes to turnover aversion. All in all, though, preseason was another positive step in Liam's development.
2. Hannes Steinbach
Preseason Stats: 9.0pts 5.5rbs 0.3ast 0.8tos 17.2 ORB%
Hannes Steinbach was arguably the Hornets best player in preseason. The reason he doesn't come in at first on this list is that he was so good towards the end of summer league that his stock was already pretty high anyways.
So for Steinbach, this preseason was moreso about confirming the positive impression he had left during the summer, which he did. Unsurprisingly, the offensive rebounding and ability to leak out in transition were as apparent as they have been at every stop in Steinbach's career.
Considering Kalkbrenner's shaky play, it's very possible we'll see Steinbach crack 10+ minutes a night almost immediately in the regular season.
1. Christian Anderson Jr.
Preseason Stats: 12.5pts 1.5rbs 3.5ast 3.0tos 60% 3PT
After a rocky two weeks of Summer League performances, even CAJ's biggest believers (myself) had to admit he might not be ready to come in and contribute on the main roster immediately. And when he didn't see any run in the first two preseason games, those concerns kept growing little by little.
But then, Charlotte's number 18 pick in this year's draft got a chance to play against Boston and Memphis. Not to say he suddenly looked like a starting-caliber player, but he looked much more comfortable and settled than a few months earlier, especially offensively.
It was also only a two-game sample size, sure. The physicality for Anderson looked better as well, though. That's not something that will revert to being worse in the regular season. He has worked to get better in that department, and he's about to reap the rewards by probably playing some good minutes in the absence of Coby White.
To hear more thoughts on the Hornets' preseason performance, feel free to check out the corresponding episode on the Charlotte Hornets on SI YouTube (HERE) podcast channel.
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