Liam McNeeley was picked at the end of the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft with past pedigree that didn't quite line up with his eventual draft slot.

After a disappointing freshman season at UConn, McNeeley tumbled down draft boards, failing to live up to his billing as a top-ten high school recruit in the country the year prior. Thankfully for the Charlotte Hornets, swinging an opportunistic trade for the 29th pick landed the thrown aside prospect in their lap.

At Connecticut, McNeeley was forced to operate as a primary playmaker - a role that didn't quite suit his connective skill set. The 6'7" forward is best deployed as a knock down shooter that competes hard on defense and cleans the glass, not an offensive intiator that dribbles the air out of the ball.

In his Las Vegas Summer League debut, McNeeley thrived when he had NBA-level teammates setting the table for him, allowing him to excel in his role.

On the offensive end, Liam drained a trio of three-pointers, looking immensely comfortable stepping into shots from behind the arc. He attacked the basket confidently, exposing gaps created by his teammates and playing with both physicality and craft around the cup. After he established himself as a scorer, McNeeley got into his passing bag, setting up defenders with some manipulative eye-work and dicing up the Jazz.

However, he didn't just dominate on the offensive end.

McNeeley hauled in a game-high 12 rebounds, flying through the paint with reckless abandon and a relentless desire for loose balls. He has an NBA-ready frame, and he used every inch of it to own the glass from the wing position. On defense, McNeeley was active, walling off defenders with his body, and on one occasion, he locked up the NCAA Tournament's Most Outsdanding Player, Walter Clayton, in isolation.

His final stat line of 22 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, on 7-16 shooting is as good as any Hornets fan could have hoped for. McNeeley acquitted himself well in his first action in Vegas, setting the stage for an encore performance tomorrow night against the Philadelphia 76ers.

"I can only control two things: my attitude and my effort," said the rookie forward post-game, and if he continues to control those two things and stuff the stat sheet, he'll be a fan-favorite in Charlotte for a long time.

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