Liam McNeeley's development is right on schedule for the Charlotte Hornets

His success didn't come as quickly as it did for the rest of the Charlotte Hornets' 2025 draft class, but don't be mistaken; Liam McNeeley is right on schedule.

The 29th overall pick in 2025's NBA Draft had his breakout game in Sunday's loss to the Denver Nuggets, scoring 13 points, securing four rebounds, and dishing a pair of assists. Those numbers seem meager compared to fellow first-round pick Kon Knueppel's nightly counting stats, but that's not really the point. McNeeley is starting to look like he belongs in an NBA rotation.

Liam McNeeley is figuring it out

Before missing four games with an illness, McNeeley was on the fringes of Charles Lee's rotation. In 12.8 minutes per game, he shot 38% from three (15/40) and made no notable statistical impact on the defensive end of the floor.

Since his return, McNeeley looks like a completely different basketball player.

His minutes have increased to 14.0 per game (including 19.0 in four December games), and his three-point percentage has increased to 44% (12/27) in this nine-game stretch. His jumper looks decisive and confident, mimicking the tape from McNeeley's high school days when he shared the floor with fellow NBA rookies Cooper Flagg, Derrik Queen, and Asa Newell.

His scouting profile starts with the jumper, but it's the improvement in his ancillary skills that has defined McNeeley's hot stretch.

He was thrust into a primary playmaking role at UConn that stretched his basketball limits, but like with anything else, practice makes perfect, and McNeely's on-ball repititions as an undergrad have paid dividends early on in the Association.

He hasn't been asked to create offense often, but he's been successful in limited opportunities.

Late in the third quarter against Denver, McNeeley received an early ball screen in transition from Mason Plumlee. He unleashed a nifty handle, touched the paint, and kicked the ball out to an open Tidjane Salaün who knocked down a 30-foot three-pointer.

Finding more opportunities for McNeeley to operate in this fashion is the next step in his development as an all-around, two-way wing. He's already proven adept at attacking close outs (which will only come with more urgency as he continues to knock down jumpers); more self-creation should be added to McNeeley's plate shortly.

As a defender, McNeeley has been put in some uncomfortable situations. He's spent ample time guarding primary creators like Jamal Murray and Jalen Brunson, and while he's given up plenty of points to the jitterbug point guards, the trial by fire approach should be a prudent one for him long-term.

The Hornets' don't need McNeeley to do any of these things right now, but it is a credit to Charles Lee and his staff that they are allowing him to explore the ends of his game while continuing to stay competitive from night-to-night.

For now, McNeeley's role is simple: hit open shots, attack closeouts, pull down rebounds (he's a 77th percentile defensive rebounder per Cleaning the Glass), and stay attached to his man on defense.

However, as he continues to grow, the Hornets will want to see those ancillary skills develop further than they already have. He has a long runway to live up to his lofty high school recruiting ranking and the price Charlotte paid (Mark Williams) to draft him, and it looks like he's all systems go to develop in the Hornets' newly cushy developmental pipeline.

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