Los Angeles Lakers vs Charlotte Hornets NBA Summer League 2023 (9th July, 2023): Preview, prediction, players to watch, rosters and more

The Los Angeles Lakers will be matched up against the Charlotte Hornets later today in Las Vegas for the NBA 2K24 Summer League.

The Lakers previously won their first Summer League game in Las Vegas against the Golden State Warriors by a score of 103-96. Meanwhile, the Hornets are fresh off a 76-68 loss against the San Antonio Spurs.

Prediction: Despite the presence of the Charlotte Hornets' Brandon Miller, the Lakers Summer League team is a well-rounded unit compared to what Charlotte has in their roster. The Lakers will look to improve to 2 wins and 0 losses after the game today.

Lakers Basketball

Players to watch: Hornets' Brandon Miller and Lakers' Jalen Hood-Schifino

In his first Summer League game in Las Vegas, Brandon Miller dropped 16 points (5-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-10 from 3-point range) and 11 rebounds. Miller had a decent showing with his shooting touch against the No. 1 overall pick, Victor Wembanyama. Unfortunately, his efforts weren't enough to lead his team to victory.

Meanwhile, Jalen Hood-Schifino dropped 9 points (3-of-11 shooting), 5 rebounds, and 4 steals. Hood-Schifino was never assessed as a scorer coming out of his draft class, but he was always viewed as a quality defender. His on-ball defense was on full display against the Golden State Warriors with his four steals.

Hood-Schifino is listed as 6-foot-6 at the guard position, while Miller is listed as 6-foot-9 at the forward position. As the two play different positions, they won't be matched up that much throughout the game. Be that as it may, the Los Angeles Lakers might look to have Jalen Hood-Schifino guard Brandon Miller on a few possessions here and there.

Los Angeles Lakers Summer League roster

Player and No.	Position
Max Christie (#10)	Guard
Jalen Hood-Schifino (#11)	Guard
Scotty Pippen Jr. (#14)	Guard
Damion Baugh (#29)	Guard
Bryce Hamilton (#36)	Guard
D’Moi Hodge (#55)	Guard
Cole Swider (#20)	Forward
Maxwell Lewis (#21)	Forward
Alex Fudge (#27)	Forward
LJ Figueroa (#30)	Forward
Colin Castleton (#26)	Center
Sacha Killeya-Jones (#31)	Center

The head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers Summer League team is JD DuBois.

Charlotte Hornets Summer League roster

Player and No.	Position
Nick Smith Jr. (#0)	Guard
James Bouknight (#2)	Guard
Kobi Simmons (#14)	Guard
Amari Bailey (#17)	Guard
Justin Robinson (#26)	Guard
Jaylen Simms (#33)	Guard
Bryce McGowens (#7)	Guard-Forward
Angelo Allegri (#16)	Forward
Tre Scott (#18)	Forward
Leaky Black (#19)	Forward
Xavier Sneed (#22)	Forward
Brandon Miller (#24)	Forward
Anthony Duruji (#41)	Forward
Kai Jones (#23)	Forward-Center
Nathan Mensah (#36)	Center
James Nnaji (#46)	Center

The head coach of the Charlotte Hornets Summer League team is Marlon Garnett.

Charlotte Hornets' Brandon Miller on how he fits with the team and Los Angeles Lakers' Jalen Hood-Schifino on his Summer League debut

The 2023 NBA Draft Class is composed of a number of young and promising players with tremendous upside.

After getting selected by the Charlotte Hornets as the second overall pick, Brandon Miller told the media how he sees himself fitting in with the team.

“Definitely at 3," Miller said. "You have LaMelo Ball’s playmaking. I think him being a playmaker and me being a shotmaker, I think that kind of fits well. Not just that, but how we take pride on the defensive side, we can really lock in and get the stops we need to win ball games.”

In a Summer League game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat, Jalen Hood-Schifino talked about what it felt like as a rookie entering the professional league.

“It was solid," Hood-Schifino said. "Obviously it wasn’t the outcome that I wanted or my teammates wanted, but at the end of the day it’s Summer League just to develop, learn and get better and it’s my first game. But I feel like as the game went on I got more aggressive and started to be more aggressive and get downhill a little bit."

With two players that specialize in two different playstyles on the court, it'll be interesting to see them matched up against one another a few times during the game.