Which Hornets Summer League Player Has the Best Chance to Earn a Contract?

About twenty years ago, a former mid-major conference player of the year suited up for the Detroit Pistons in Summer League action. After compiling a stellar double-double performance in the opener, he found himself benched for the next two games. Concerned, he mustered up enough courage to talk to the coach to see if he had done anything to work himself out of favor.

As he explained to me years later, the answer was no, but the reality was harsh. The player quickly got a lesson from his boss, learning like so many others before him and since, he did not actually have a shot to earn a real NBA contract. He was a roster filler, and that’s all he’d ever be.

I bring this story up because that’s likely what faces most of the Hornets on the team’s summer league roster who aren’t already signed to the squad. Most don’t have a real chance of making the cracking A-team, but that doesn’t mean they’re not playing for anything.

Every so often, non-roster players find success, too. Sometimes it’s on the current team they’re playing for, other times it’s elsewhere in the NBA, but more often, it’s in Europe, just as it was for the aforementioned Piston who ended up playing overseas, earning a nice living before retiring just a few years ago.

And that brings us to the here and now with the pressing question of which Hornet Summer Leaguer has the best shot of making the team’s 2026-2027 main roster. By all accounts, that man is Kylan Boswell. Granted, like all those before him, he faces an uphill climb, but if he plays his cards right, he could be hanging out in the Queen City next year.

Mar 28, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kylan Boswell (4) cuts the net after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes in an Elite Eight game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Though somewhat undersized and slower than desired, the 6-1 guard from Illinois has the skillset to be a nice complementary piece for Charles Lee’s roster. He also has a head start on most of his teammates as a two-way player between the Hornets and their G-League team, the Greensboro Swarm.

Boswell’s bread and butter is his defense. He puts pressure on opposing guards, using his 226-pound body to make life tough on them as they bring up the ball. For his efforts, Boswell was a two-time selection for all-conference defense, earning that honor this past season with the Fighting Illini, as well as back in 2023 when he played for Arizona.

Boswell’s biggest issue is his shooting from outside. A check in on his numbers shows his three-point percentage dipped considerably when he moved east for his final two years in college. Supporters would argue that a broken hand in his senior year had something to do with the decline, but there’s no denying the dip began his junior year.

With the Hornets' point guard spot in flux since the LaMelo Ball trade, the opportunity is now for Boswell to make his move. He’s got the skills, but seeing that he’s in Vegas, he’ll need a little luck too.

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