Preseason preview: Hornets tip off their preseason slate at the Thunder

What: Charlotte Hornets at Oklahoma City Thunder

When: 8:00 pm EDT

Where: Paycom Center; Oklahoma City, OK

How to watch: You don’t

139 days after their 2020-21 season ended in brutal fashion against the Indiana Pacers, the Hornets are back in action, even though it is just preseason action. We’ll get to see a bulkier and more matured LaMelo Ball, a healthy Gordon Hayward, and all of the rest of the usual cast of characters. We’ll get our first look at newcomers Mason Plumlee, Kelly Oubre, and Ish Smith.

There are two players that won’t be in action though:

I don’t expect either absence to be significant or prolonged, but neither Jalen McDaniels nor DJ Carton will suit up for the Hornets tonight.

If past preseasons are any indication, we’ll probably see the starters for about 20-25 minutes, with veterans like Gordon Hayward and Mason Plumlee more likely to be on the low side of that while the younger guys get to stretch their legs more. We’ll probably see 15-20 minutes of high profile rookies James Bouknight and Kai Jones in a relief roles.

Other than that, I don’t know what else to say to preview this game. It’s the first preseason thing, so nothing we see is really going to matter. We’ll see James Borrego’s first draft of the starting lineup, but even that is very subject change over the course of the preseason and into the regular season.

The big problem is that this game isn’t being broadcast locally. The Thunder will be carrying a broadcast, so do with that what you will, but we won’t get Eric, Dell, and Ashley on the call.