The 2026 NBA Draft has come and gone, and for Illinois basketball fans, night one was great.
Keaton Wagler was selected No. 5 overall by the Los Angeles Clippers, marking the second-highest NBA Draft pick in Illini history.
Night two was a bit of a disappointment, though. I was expecting Illinois to have Kylan Boswell selected sometime in the mid-to-late second round. Name by name was called, and Boswell didn’t show up. The lights turned off at the Barclays Center, and only one member of the Orange and Blue heard his name called.
Boswell didn’t pass his first NBA test, which was to get drafted. He went through all of the draft process, and scouts clearly didn’t think he was draft-worthy at the time.
Boswell signed with the Charlotte Hornets back on June 25 to a two-way contract, which means he can play in the G-League and the Hornets can call him up at any time.
Test No. 2 starts in the coming weeks. On Thursday, the Hornets released their Summer League roster. Boswell is smackdab in the middle, surrounded by a bunch of names you remember from college who are just trying to get a chance and develop.
#Hornets summer league roster pic.twitter.com/2vjwW6xYKb
— Rod Boone (@rodboone) July 2, 2026
This is Boswell’s chance to show that he does belong in the NBA. Charlotte is not tied to Boswell, and they can cut him loose at any time.
There are other little Summer League sessions before the main Las Vegas Summer League, but the Hornets’ first game, and the first chance we get to see Boswell in action, is Thursday, July 9. The game is at 6:30 p.m. CT/7:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
Kylan Boswell might have a chance to see some playing time with the Charlotte Hornets this season
Charlotte has gone through a lot of roster reconstruction this offseason. They got rid of Miles Bridges, who pleaded no contest to a felony charge of injuring a child’s parent in 2022. It’s probably a good idea to get that away from the franchise.
The Hornets also sent LaMelo Ball packing in a trade that brought back some nice size and shooting in Naz Reid.
What piques my interest is the fact that the Hornets have one less point guard on the roster. Ball is gone, leaving Coby White as the lead point guard. There isn’t much help behind him.
That could open the door for Boswell to see some playing time this season. The only thing holding Boswell back is Boswell. If he can perform well in the Summer League, he can stick and get some time in The Association. Just remember, an aggressive Boswell is the best Boswell.
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