The Charlotte Hornets’ first preseason game is in the books, and if you’re one to care about preseason results (you shouldn’t be), you probably aren’t feeling great right now. The Hornets got absolutely shellacked by the Nets, who are expected to finish near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. But if it’s any solace, the game really only went south in the second half as more and more regular rotation players left the game, the Hornets began the game massively shorthanded from the outset, and it’s the preseason, so no one really cares. We watch for the takeaways, not the results. Here are the takeaways.

Liam McNeeley is showing a lot of legitimate promise on the offensive side of the floor

McNeeley got the start with Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel both out (Miller was reported out with a bruised shin). His first half was derailed by foul trouble, but he found his groove in the second half. He looked just like Summer League Liam McNeeley. When he gets hot from deep, he gets really, really hot. He made four 3-pointers in a row in the third quarter and scored all 14 of his points in that frame. He had a few ball security issues, but everybody did. It’s the preseason. If he gets pressed into any meaningful court time this year, I think we’re going to see a few breakout games from him.

Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale have more complete games than they’re given credit for

Allen made all three of his 3-point attempts and scored 13 points in 14 minutes as the starter at the two guard spot. One of his threes was a pull up off the dribble, and he also had a nice finish at the rim off a drive from the perimeter. I think he’s going to quickly become well liked as a bench player here. Same goes for Royce O’Neale, who didn’t have the same effectiveness with his shot but led the team with five assists and added a steal and two blocks. I’ve usually thought of O’Neale as a guy that mostly stands in the corner and hits spot up threes, but he looked comfortable as a ball mover and connector in a Hornets offense that isn’t as star-centric as the ones O’Neale has been a part of for most of his career.

Naz Reid showed how he can be an improved version of the Miles Bridges mismatch hunter

Last season, we saw Miles Bridges find his best offensive role as a guy that would target switches and use his strength to get to the rim when guarded by a smaller player. We saw Naz Reid do a similar thing a couple of times last night, but he’s much bigger, so it’ll be easier to find those mismatches. The Hornets sought out a look for those mismatches a couple of times, and Reid was simply too much for the smaller covers to handle in the post. He got to the free throw line seven times in just 16 minutes, and that’s something the Hornets are really hoping to get more of since they struggled to get to the line much last season. He had a really nice offensive rebound in traffic that led to free throws as well. Charles Lee mentioned in the offseason that they wanted to get Reid more active on the offensive glass, and that’s something they were missing from the four spot last year. Hopefully that kind of play becomes the norm.

Tidjane Salaun definitely looks better, but he still needs to get the ball to go into the basket

During his media day press conference, Charles Lee pointed out how much work Salaun had been putting in in the weight room and how it had been translating to more fluid and stronger movements on the court. You could definitely see that in this game, but he still struggled to put the ball in the basket. He was a lot quicker putting the ball on the floor, and he did a pretty decent job of dislodging defenders as he drove to the basket. He just didn’t make the shots. We’ll keep an eye on that going forward.

I hope Michael Ajayi sticks around for a while

I immediately became fond of Michael Ajayi’s game in the summer league, and that translated to the preseason. He’s very raw offensively, but he asserts himself on the game so well in other areas. In 19 minutes, he racked up four rebounds, three assists, and a block along with a made 3-pointer. He reminds me a lot of Josh Okogie’s short stint here a couple of seasons ago. He might struggle to put the ball in the basket, but he’s going to be a menace everywhere else.

The Hornets are back in action on Sunday playing host to the upstart Milwaukee Bucks.