Liam McNeeley is walking into Year 2 with a different feel than he had as a rookie. The Charlotte Hornets forward says the combination of Summer League and a full NBA season has sharpened his confidence, and he’s now looking to play with more aggression on both ends of the floor.
McNeeley spoke with reporters Sunday after a Hornets practice at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., where Charlotte opened training camp five days earlier. The team is two days away from its first preseason game, and McNeeley said the work he’s put in since last season has already changed the way he approaches the game.
“I'd say my aggressiveness and my confidence,” McNeeley said. “Summer League and this offseason has really helped my confidence. I put a lot of work in and that's given me the confidence to be aggressive and [look for] my shot and play-make for others.”
“And then just having a year under your belt makes a huge difference,” McNeeley continued. “Going into your rookie year you don't know what it takes, you don't know what it's like; now I feel comfortable.”
The 29th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft out of UConn played 31 games for Charlotte as a rookie, averaging 4.3 points in 11.9 minutes. He also spent part of the season in Greensboro, where the Hornets assigned him to the Swarm multiple times between December and March before he joined them for the postseason.
That run ended with a strong finish in the G League Finals. On April 10 in Stockton, Calif., McNeeley scored 21 points in Greensboro’s 119-104 win over the Stockton Kings, completing a two-game sweep and delivering the first G League title in Swarm history.
His summer offered another jolt. In Charlotte’s Summer League opener on July 9, McNeeley poured in 28 points and hit 7 of 8 from 3-point range in an 86-74 victory over the Orlando Magic. He averaged 21.7 points in Las Vegas and earned a spot on the All-Summer League Second Team, even as Charlotte dropped its next four games and finished 1-4.
Camp has brought a different kind of test. McNeeley said the practices have been physical all week, with players jawing at each other and pushing the tempo. But he also made clear that the competitiveness has stayed inside the lines.
“Off the court everybody's super close,” McNeeley explained. “We hang out, we play cards, we watch football.
Like I said about training camp, when we're on the court, we're going at each other. But even when we're on different teams like Pat and Royce, Grayson, they're all giving me tips.
They've all been great vets.”
Charlotte has also added more veteran voices around him. The Hornets acquired Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale from Phoenix on July 13.
Allen started 27 games for the Suns last season and averaged 17.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in those starts. O'Neale is 33, and Charlotte has until Oct. 19 to sign him to an extension.
Pat Connaughton is also on the 21-man camp roster.
Two forwards are working back from hamstring injuries. Kon Knueppel and Grant Williams both traveled to Charleston while rehabbing, and WSOC-TV reported that neither is expected to play in the preseason. Knueppel averaged 18.5 points in 81 games as a rookie and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting.
McNeeley pointed to the leadership around him, especially from Coby White, as another part of camp that has stood out. White arrived in Charlotte in a Feb. 4 trade with Chicago, averaged 15.6 points in 21 games for the Hornets, and re-signed in July on a three-year, $74 million contract. After Charlotte agreed on June 25 to trade LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid and draft compensation, White stepped into the starting point guard role.
Hornets coach Charles Lee said The Citadel’s three-court gym layout was one of the main reasons the team chose the site for camp. Entering his third season, Lee has said he wants White to increase his assist numbers. He also told WSOC-TV after the first practice on Sept. 29 that the group’s communication has been strong.
“I thought the communication in practice today was high level,” Lee told WSOC-TV after the first practice on Sept. 29. “We've created an environment where it's safe for guys to not only give feedback, but everyone receives it really well, too.”
McNeeley said White has fit that role from the start of camp.
“We've brought in great leaders,” McNeeley said. “Coby White has been super vocal.
I'd say he was a standout for the vocalness in training camp. We did an obstacle course with the Citadel cadets, and he was leading his team.
It was impressive.”
The Hornets open the regular season Oct. 21 in Brooklyn.
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