Last night in a 95-86 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, something out of the norm happened for the Charlotte Hornets.

Rookie forward, Noah Vonleh, played eight and a half minutes. The surprising part was that it was still early in the game when he saw his playing time. Typically (if he’s even active) Vonleh has only seen time during mop-up duty.

While he didn’t blow the doors off of the place, he provided some solid minutes. He still seemed to get pushed around a bit (I mean, come on, he’s only 19 years old), but he looked significantly more comfortable than any other time he’s seen action.

Still, he made a couple of rookie mistakes. For example, fellow rookie, P.J. Hairston, was knocked down at one point and Vonleh went to help him up. It was a nice gesture from one teammate to another, however, the Spurs had already started pushing the ball up the court, leading to a four-on-three and an easy basket.

He’ll need to learn that, especially against a team like the Spurs, you have to keep an eye on the ball and anticipate your opponent’s next move. That’s something that will only come with time and experience.

Vonleh finished with four points and an assist, while making his only shot and hitting both of his free throws.

While Noah Vonleh likely only saw time because Marvin Williams is out indefinitely with a concussion and broken nose, his play and meaningful minutes raises one question for Charlotte Hornets fans: should he get more playing time?

The answer is yes.

This is the perfect time for Vonleh to gradually receive more and more meaningful playing time because it’s pressure-free basketball. Everyone knows that injuries have absolutely decimated this team’s chances of playing a competitive season, and the addition of Lance Stephenson hasn’t done much to help.

The Hornets will obviously continue to fight in each game, but if they fail to reach the postseason, it would almost be expected at this point. If they do reach the playoffs, then hey, you’re playing with house money.

Noah Vonleh can come in and just play. That’s the most important thing; it will allow him to just play. If he has a poor outing and Charlotte loses, there isn’t much on the line, so it shouldn’t hurt his confidence too much.

It would certainly benefit the fans as well. It’s hard to watch your team when they’re no longer playing for anything meaningful in the season (if the Hornets were to fall out of playoff contention), but everyone in the Charlotte area gets excited about seeing Vonleh come in the game.

It’s even sparked a trend on Twitter in the form of the hashtag, #FreeVonleh.

It's already time to #FreeVonleh — Hornets Hardball (@HornetsHardball) January 24, 2015

Jason Maxiell in. Cue up the #freevonleh tweets. — Rick Bonnell (@rick_bonnell) December 27, 2014

The Charlotte Hornets have gathered up a significantly higher amount of fans since dropping the Bobcats moniker, so it’s important not to lose them during a rough stretch of injuries. Appealing to what they want by giving Noah Vonleh some significant playing time could go a long way in terms of retaining interest.

Who knows, maybe he’ll surprise us all and lead this team into a playoff run. Okay, maybe I’m being a little too optimistic, but a man can dream, right?

Regardless, it’s time for head coach, Steve Clifford, to permanently #FreeVonleh.

Should Noah Vonleh get more playing time? No

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