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The Portland Trail Blazers will begin their 2021 NBA Summer League campaign against the Charlotte Hornets. The game will take place at Cox Pavilion.
The Portland Trail Blazers desperately need some of their young prospects to step up in the summer league campaign. They will be bolstered by the addition of NBA veteran Michael Beasley, who will be leading their squad in the offseason tournament.
Meanwhile, the Charlotte Hornets have one of the most exciting summer league rosters featuring LiAngelo Ball, the older brother of young stars Lonzo and LaMelo Ball.
Match Details
Fixture - Portland Trail Blazers vs Charlotte Hornets | NBA Summer League 2021.
Date & Time - Sunday, August 8th, 2021, 6:00 PM ET (Monday, 3:30 AM IST).
Venue - Cox Pavilion, Las Vegas, NV.
Portland Trail Blazers Preview
The Portland Trail Blazers have a decent mix of youth and experience on their summer league roster. Michael Beasley, who played in the NBA from 2008 to 2019, will be accompanied by sophomore guard CJ Elleby, third-year forward Nassir Little and rookie Greg Brown III as the team's other notable additions.
The Portland Trail Blazers have 3 players over the age of 30 and just one player in Greg Brown III below 20 years of age on their summer league roster. It'll be interesting to see how they gel on the court together when they take on the Charlotte Hornets in their opening fixture on Sunday.
The Portland Trail Blazers will be hoping the experiment of adding more veterans to their summer league roster turns out to be a successful move. It will give them a great chance to build a solid roster for the upcoming NBA season.
Key Player - Nassir Little
The Portland Trail Blazers' frontcourt depth took a hit after the departure of Carmelo Anthony. Little hasn't had a huge impact in his first two seasons in the NBA. The summer league presents a great opportunity for him to flourish and prove to his team that he is ready to deal with a larger role than he has had with the side previously.
Nassir Little will have multiple veteran players around him, which could help him perform better during these 4/5 games the Portland Trail Blazers are scheduled to play in the summer league.
Portland Trail Blazers Predicted Lineup
G - Jordon Crawford | G - CJ Elleby | F - Nassir Little | F - Michael Beasley | C - Kaleb Wesson.
Charlotte Hornets Preview
Charlotte Hornets rookies James Bouknight and Kai Jones have a great platform to showcase their potential in the 2021 NBA Summer League.
They will be accompanied by the likes of LiAngelo Ball, Vernon Carey Jr., Nate Darling and Nick Richards. All these players will have a lot to prove. The Hornets will be hoping these stars shine in this tournament to help them make the playoffs this season.
It'll be interesting to see if the Charlotte Hornets' youthful summer league squad can give viewers the same exciting experience their main team was able to give during the 2020-21 NBA season.
Also Check out: Charlotte Hornets Complete NBA Summer League Schedule
Key Player - James Bouknight
James Bouknight will be one player who is going to have a lot of eyes on him when he takes to the court for the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. The Connecticut prospect was picked 11th overall in the 2021 NBA draft by the Hornets. He is coming off a season where he averaged 18.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game on 47% shooting from the floor.
Bouknight was expected to be a top 10 draft pick as per the projections of plenty of mock drafts. The Hornets made sure they did not give up on the opportunity to pick him with their #11th pick in the draft and will be hoping he can continue to showcase his traits as a pure scorer during the summer league.
Charlotte Hornets Predicted Lineup
G - DJ Carton | G - James Bouknight | F - LiAngelo Ball | F - Kai Jones | C - Nick Richards.
Trail Blazers vs Hornets Prediction
The matchup between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Charlotte Hornets will be an enticing affair to look forward to. The Trail Blazers have a lot of experience, while the Hornets have the best young prospects on their roster. It makes it difficult to pick a winner considering it would just be their first game of the 2021 NBA Summer League.
Considering the experience part, though, the Portland Trail Blazers will have a slight advantage, which gives them the favorites tag for this game. The Charlotte Hornets, meanwhile, will be hoping their youthful squad can play to their potential.
Where to watch Trail Blazers vs Hornets game?
The match between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Charlotte Hornets will be televised nationally on NBA TV. Fans can also view the game online via NBA League Pass.
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