How are things changing within the Hornets? The answer is now more apparent

If any more evidence is necessary to signal things are shifting around the Charlotte Hornets , the sight inside Cox Pavilion should be considered Exhibit A.

It’s not like the Hornets’ summer league team needed an extra pick-me-up to keep those undefeated vibes going, considering the roster is loaded with members of their youth movement. They’d been doing perfectly fine without the recognizable names sitting across from them Tuesday, holding their own in one of the team’s best showing in years.

But just in case those summer doldrums kicked in after spending the better part of the past three weeks melting out west, all Nick Smith Jr., Tidjane Salaün , Leaky Black & Co., had to do was look to the opposite side of the floor.

Nearly every key player on the main roster was present during the Hornets’ 80-66 win over Denver. LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges , Brandon Miller , Tre Mann, Seth Curry, Grant Williams, Mark Williams , Cody Martin and Nick Richards all joined president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson and player enhancement coach Kemba Walker for an up-close view of the action, a powerful display of how Hornets’ culture is changing and being reshaped on the fly.

“It’s special, man,” Grant Williams said. “We are just trying to support one another, make sure we understand that team is first and team matters and really, really just committed to getting better and improving and making it a premier organization in the league.”

The shadowing presence of the franchise’s top faces was certainly welcomed.

“It felt good, just for my big brothers to support us,” Nick Smith Jr. said after posting 21 points and six rebounds in another solid outing. “That;s just one of the things that uplifts us. It uplifted me. I was excited to play in front of them.

“I hadn’t seen some of them in a long time. I feel like we are like brothers. I feel like brothers support each other and that’s what they did.”

In more than one way, too.

“All the vets sitting there,” Hornets summer coach Josh Longstaff said, “they’re coaching the guys up, they’re cheering them on. Their spending time together speaks volumes and it’s all part of the process.”

One that included a wrinkle Monday night with a salvo straight from the top.

Hornets co-owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin threw a dinner event, inviting a host of team personnel. All of their players — summer league and main roster — were present. The basketball operations department was also on the guest list.

Raves reviews abounded about their soirée.

“It was unique like I’ve never seen,” Longstaff said. “I’ve been in the league 15 years. Those things matter. A lot of people kind of speak like they want to do it the right way, and I really think that the Hornets are trying to do it the right way and show they care. “And it really starts there.”

Even the newcomer was impressed.

“Oh, it was really nice,” Taj Gibson said. “To be honest with you, just meeting the ownership alone … First you see the ownership, the ownership is so welcoming. Those gentlemen, their energy is just vibrant in how they move and how they already circled and brought all the pieces together last night.

“It was like a family reunion, because that’s how relaxed we were. Talking, laughing, talking about what it’s going to be like. It was great, just to have that dialect.”

Gibson also noticed something different, indicating the tightness of the unit.

“I’ve been to many of those dinners where every guy is over there, guys are over there,” Gibson said. “But (Monday) night, everybody was mixing. Everybody.”

Should the Hornets finally end the NBA’s longest playoff drought, perhaps they will look back on these last few days as the beginning, pointing to the camaraderie built during the summer of change.

Perception-wise and organizationally.

A certain balance is required to remain focused on the long-term vision and not get lost in the daily rigors of the 82-game season. Veterans like Gibson can assist with that, serving as a pseudo-coach on the floor and taking on a sibling-like role off it to help foster a structure that’s results-oriented and proven.

“We’ve got to start from the ground up — can’t skip any steps,” Gibson said. “One thing I try to tell guys, ‘When you want to go the distance, want to be that kind of guy, you’ve got to put in the work that nobody else is. We are trying to build something and the energy is really good, really good.

“But we’ve got to start from the ground up. We’ve got to support each other. We’ve got to work out together, we’ve got to try to spend as much time as we can together.”

“Having that conversation of what you need?” Gibson said. “What’s going on with you? How you feel? Who worked you out? How’s your knee feeling? Anytime you need extra work I’m going to be with you brother. And that’s the kind of conversations we need and that’s what I’m trying to do.”

Their courtside appearance should aid in establishing a good foundation.

“It shows that the team really cares about one another,” Grant Williams said, “and we’ve got a chance to be great.”