Quick takeaways from the Greensboro Swarm's home opening win over Leaky Black and the Capital City Go-Go

Matt Alquiza | Nov 13, 2024

David Yeazell-Imagn Images

A couple of familiar faces made their way to Greensboro this afternoon when the Capital City Go-Go strode into town to face the Swarm. Leaky Black, a former member of the Swarm, and Mouhamadou Gueye, a versatile big man who spent the dog days of summer with the Hornets in California and Vegas, led Capital City's line against the Swarm in this afternoon's G-League contest. Here are a couple of takeaways from today's action.

The atmosphere was...awesome?

Shoutout to the Swarm. I don't know all of the details, but the stands were packed with school aged students for the lunch time tip and the kids provided the Swarm with a legitimate home-court advantage. Anything that exposes kids to the beautiful game of basketball is a massive win in my book, so good on whoever decided to let these kids play hooky from school on a field trip to the Swarm game. 10/10.

KJ Simpson's flashed burst and bunnies

A second quarter fast break by the Swarm was punctuated by a poster dunk from the six foot tall guard. Simpson caught the ball near half court, slowed his dribble, lulling his defender to sleep, and then burst to the rim in a flash to throw down the hammer on the Go-Go. High-flying dunks always look cooler when they're flushed home by shorter guards (Nate Robinson hive stand up), and this punch by Simpson was no exception.

The Hornets second round pick in this year's NBA Draft was as expected. His steady playmaking led the Swarm in a fourth quarter comeback, directing the charge with his three-level scoring and heady facilitation skills. Simpson plays exactly like you'd expect a six-foot guard to play. He's scrappy, hitting the deck for loose balls before anybody else on the court. He's smart, always making the right hit-ahead pass in transition to lead fast breaks. If he ever earns minutes with the senior Hornets, his tough-nosed play would endear him to fans in a heartbeat.

Marcus Garrett and Jaylen Sims can ball

This is low-hanging fruit because they were the Swarm's two leading scorers, but they each looked the part. Garrett and Sims both boast some combination of size, skill, athleticism, and shooting touch that make them intriguing prospects.

Garrett, a former Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year at Kansas, has two-way upside that could eventually outpace the G-League. He had a cup of coffee with the Miami Heat in 2021-22, and even though it's a long-shot, I wouldn't be surprised if he finds his way on an NBA roster in the next season or two.

Joel Soriano, you have my attention

Soriano is the Swarm's interior brute, and his energy levels match his size. His game lacks polish, but the former St. John's center is a mountain of a man that is a real presence in the paint. Could he play Nathan Mensah-esque minutes for the Hornets in a pinch? I have my reservations about that, but there's a little something to his game that caught my eye in limited action. His energy levels on the glass were impressive for someone with his size, and it wasn't a banner night for his offense, but I saw some touch from Soriano that is something to monitor going forward.

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