Hornets' Stock Report: Who Impressed vs. Spurs, Who Disappointed

Scouting report from the first night of Summer League action.

David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Charles Lee era in Charlotte is officially underway...well, sort of. The Hornets tipped off Summer League action Saturday night in the California Classic and walked away with a dominating 97-65 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

It's early and a lot can change between now and the end of the month, but with one game in the books we look at which players' stock is rising and whose is falling.

Stock Up: Mouhamadou Gueye

Gueye stole the show leading the Hornets, and all scorers for that matter with 21 points. He finished through contact at the rim on several occasions, many of which I have no idea how they found the bottom of the net. It wasn't just his scoring ability that flashed, however. He was active on the defensive end rejecting three shots and picking up a pair of steals.

Stock Down: Bryce McGowens

McGowens was waived by the organization just hours before the game, but the Hornets allowed him to stay on the Summer League roster. You could tell he was pressing the issue on the offensive at end times, taking contested shots and dribbling the ball way too much. It was a performance to be expected, but if he hopes to stick around he'll need to bounce back sooner than later.

Stock Up: Jake Stephens

Aside from the one air balled three, Stephens had a terrific night. He shot it well going 4/9, including 2/5 from three-point land but more importantly, he looked like he belonged. Stephens was engaged from start to finish and played well on the defensive end of the floor.

Stock Down: Leaky Black

With defense being the team's main priority, I expected Black to really thrive and be the heartbeat to this whole thing in Summer League. That could still happen, but he didn't get off to a great start. He was the only player on the Hornets' roster who finished with a negative +/- at (-9). Usually, I could care less about what the +/- says, but last night proved to be an exception.

Stock Up: RaeQuan Battle

Battle will have a chance to play in Greensboro if he continues to shoot the ball at a high level. That's his main and really, only true strength. He has a long ways to go defensively and needs to be more active in crashing the glass, but the kid can shoot the lights out. He made 4/7 shots (4/6 from three), finishing the game with 12 points.

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