It’s warmup time ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris and on Sunday night it was a chance for the Chinese National Team to see how they’d stack up against the saddest possible lineup of one of the NBA’s saddest teams.
The Charlotte Hornets sent out a lineup of second round picks and G-League talent, and still managed to beat China by 31 points, winning 93-61. Quite literally nobody of note played for Charlotte, with LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges not making the trip, Brandon Miller being called up for Team USA, and Mark Williams still recovering from injury. Even the team’s bench rotation didn’t suit up for Charlotte.
China struggled to deal with a devastating one-two punch of Bryce McGowans who scored 20 points despite being waived by the Hornets, and Jake Stephens dropping 14 points. Who is Jake Stephens? It’s wild you don’t know about a 24-year-old undrafted free agent who played for the Capital City Go-Go, the Wizards G-League affiliate.
Meanwhile for their opponents, China really only had one player worth a damn on the court. Center Hansen Yang was seen as a fringe second round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft (he wasn’t selected), and the 7’1 center recorded a team-high 12 points.
There’s no doubt that international basketball has never been better, but that’s not the case when it comes to China. It’s unbelievably sad when in the lead up to the Olympics you can’t even handle the back of the Charlotte Hornets’ rotation.
