Basketball is in the air as we are less than a month away from the NBA season tipping off. The Hornets began their preseason campaign against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, which kicks off a two-game preseason slate in Charleston, South Carolina.

Oklahoma City didn’t play its franchise cornerstones, such as reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren. The most notable players who stepped onto the court for OKC were center Jaylin Williams, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins ... and the Hornets still got smacked around.

It’s only preseason; it’s not time to panic by any means, but the defensive output from Charlotte is the biggest concern going into the season, and last night’s preseason opener didn’t help the cause. The Hornets allowed OKC to score 135 points on 53% from the field and just over 40% from three, with 20 three-pointers made. Any team that shoots like that is going to be hard to beat, no matter who’s on the court. Charlotte also made the game easy for OKC at times, as they ended the game with 17 turnovers, and OKC was able to take advantage of them in transition.

The positives for Charlotte in the loss were two pieces of the young core, led by fourth-overall pick Kon Knueppel, who looked the part of a top -ive pick in his 23 minutes of action, scoring 18 points, making good decisions, and not second-guessing himself on the court. He was decisive all night with the ball and looked like someone with more experience than a rookie normally would.

The other highlight from Charlotte was center Moussa Diabaté; his stat line wouldn’t suggest how impactful he was. He ended the game with just seven points, but he had great defensive plays and ended the game with a blocked shot and two steals. More than anything, he played with a sense of urgency, which is just what this hornet’s team needs, especially on the defensive end. If Diabaté stays healthy, he can be a real spark plug for this team and a great lob threat.

Another potential positive is that the stars looked like stars, of course, referencing LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. It was especially encouraging to see Brandon Miller play with confidence and look like he hasn’t missed a step coming off season-ending wrist surgery that took place earlier this year. Ball was making all the plays we know him to make: off-the-dribble, step-back one-legged threes, elite ball handling ... all he must do to make a real jump is limit turnovers and shoot efficiently.

The preseason is about getting the roster warm and acclimated to live game situations, while making sure all the players get reps. The Hornets look to improve to 1-1 in the preseason as they face off against the Thunder once again on October 9 at 8pm Eastern time.