Kylan Boswell didn’t need a big stage to make a case for himself Saturday night. In his NBA Summer League debut with the Charlotte Hornets, the former Illinois guard showed exactly why teams may have overlooked him in the draft.
Boswell, who went undrafted before quickly landing with Charlotte on a two-way contract, put together a clean, efficient outing against the New Orleans Pelicans. He scored eight points, handed out seven assists and grabbed four rebounds, and the sharpest part of the performance was his shooting: he went 2-for-2 from beyond the arc and also finished a layup at the rim.
That kind of all-around production is what made Boswell such a steady presence at Illinois. Over two seasons in Champaign, he averaged 12.3 points per game both years, while also contributing just over three assists and four rebounds per game. The consistency traveled with him from one level to the next.
Boswell’s college résumé is long, too. He played in 136 games over four years, a workload that many young prospects never come close to matching.
He saw plenty of action as a freshman at Arizona, averaging 15.2 minutes, then became a starter in his second season with the Wildcats. Brad Underwood brought him in through the transfer portal, and Boswell became a key piece in getting the Illini back to the Final Four this past season.
That experience helped him stand out on Saturday, even if it also worked against him on draft night. Boswell was viewed as a player who could go late in the second round at best, but he was still a priority free agent, and the Hornets moved quickly to get him signed.
Now on a two-way deal and splitting time between Charlotte and the Greensboro Swarm, Boswell has already started to show what he can offer. His Summer League debut suggested the same thing his college career did: he may not have been the flashiest name in the draft, but he knows how to play, and he knows how to make it count.
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