National Basketball Association
fromESPN.com
20 hours agoInside Hornets' metamorphosis into the NBA's buzziest team
LaMelo Ball's scouting of Kon Knueppel led to the Hornets drafting him, significantly impacting both players' careers.
Flory Bidunga averaged 13.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game at Kansas last season as a sophomore. His low post dominance made him a coveted portal asset, leading the Big 12 in both blocked shots and field goal percentage.
Avdalas, a 6-foot-9 native of Greece, averaged 12.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists as a freshman in Blacksburg. In the second game of his career, Avdalas had 33 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, going 5-for-8 from 3-point range, in a win over Providence. He skyrocketed up in NBA mock drafts on the heels of that game, looking like a projected first-round pick.
"He's 0-for-30. Simple as that. You can say there's a lot of line drives in there, but you get to a place of playing every day for a week and not having any results, and it wears on you. It wears on you mentally as much as anything."