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About twenty years ago, a former mid-major conference player of the year suited up for the Detroit Pistons in Summer League action.
After compiling a stellar double-double performance in the opener, he found himself benched for the next two games.
Concerned, he mustered up enough courage to talk to the coach to see if he had done anything to work himself out of favor.
As he explained to me years later, the answer was no, but the reality was harsh.
The player quickly got a lesson from his boss, learning like so many others before him and since, he did not actually have a shot to earn a real NBA contract.
He was a roster filler, and thats all hed ever be.
I bring this story up because thats likely what faces most of the Hornets on the teams summer league roster who arent already signed to the squad.
Most dont have a real chance of making the cracking A-team, but that doesnt mean theyre not playing for anything.
Every so often, non-roster players find success, too.
Sometimes its on the current team theyre playing for, other times its elsewhere in the NBA, but more often, its in Europe, just as it was for the aforementioned Piston who ended up playing overseas, earning a nice living before retiring just a few years ago.
And that brings us to the here and now with the pressing question of which Hornet Summer Leaguer has the best shot of making the teams 2026-2027 main roster.
By all accounts, that man is Kylan Boswell.
Granted, like all those before him, he faces an uphill climb, but if he plays his cards right, he could be hanging out in the Queen City next year.
Though somewhat undersized and slower than desired, the 6-1 guard from Illinois has the skillset to be a nice complementary piece for Charles Lees roster.
He also has a head start on most of his teammates as a two-way player between the Hornets and their G-League team, the Greensboro Swarm.
Boswells bread and butter is his defense.
He puts pressure on opposing guards, using his 226-pound body to make life tough on them as they bring up the ball.
For his efforts, Boswell was a two-time selection for all-conference defense, earning that honor this past season with the Fighting Illini, as well as back in 2023 when he played for Arizona.
Boswells biggest issue is his shooting from outside.
A check in on his numbers shows his three-point percentage dipped considerably when he moved east for his final two years in college.
Supporters would argue that a broken hand in his senior year had something to do with the decline, but theres no denying the dip began his junior year.
With the Hornets' point guard spot in flux since the LaMelo Ball trade, the opportunity is now for Boswell to make his move.
Hes got the skills, but seeing that hes in Vegas, hell need a little luck too.
Mike Lacett is an award-winning veteran sports journalist who has covered college and professional sports for more than two decades.
He also has the largest collection of NBA jerseys in the Southeast.
He and his family reside in Charlotte, NC.
Follow mikelacett.