When Charlotte starts its 2023-24 NBA season on Wednesday night, the Hornets will be counting on a bigger contribution from Auburn alumnus JT Thor than he made in his first two seasons.

Across the county on Wednesday night, the Sacramento Kings will get their first look at former Mountain Brook High School star Colby Jones in a game that counts.

Thor and Jones are among the 14 players from Alabama high schools and colleges on the 15-man active rosters of NBA teams as the 2023-24 season tips off:

· Los Angeles Clippers forward Kobe Brown (Lee-Huntsville)

· Brooklyn Nets center Noah Clowney (Alabama)

· Sacramento Kings guard Colby Jones (Mountain Brook)

· New Orleans Pelicans forward Herb Jones (Hale County, Alabama)

· Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (Auburn)

· New Orleans Pelicans guard Kira Lewis Jr. (Hazel Green, Alabama)

· Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (Alabama)

· Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell (Auburn)

· Orlando Magic forward Chuma Okeke (Auburn)

· Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro (Auburn)

· Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (Alabama)

· Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith (Auburn)

· Charlotte Hornets forward JT Thor (Auburn)

· Brooklyn Nets forward Trendon Watford (Mountain Brook)

Five players with Alabama basketball roots are starting the season on two-way contracts:

· San Antonio Spurs/Austin Spurs center Charles Bediako (Alabama)

· Boston Celtics/Maine Celtics guard JD Davison (Calhoun, Alabama)

· Sacramento Kings/Stockton Kings guard Keon Ellis (Alabama)

· Denver Nuggets/Grand Rapids Gold forward Braxton Key (Alabama)

· Los Angeles Clippers/Ontario Clippers guard Josh Primo (Alabama)

A two-way player can be moved between the NBA roster and the team’s NBA G League affiliate without having to pass through waivers and can play up to 50 games for the big team.

Four other players from Alabama high schools and colleges were released in the cutdown to the regular-season roster limit:

· Guard Sharife Cooper (Auburn) was released by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

· Guard Nate Darling (UAB) was released by the Los Angeles Clippers.

· Guard Xavier Moon (Central-Coosa) was released by the Los Angeles Clippers.

· Guard Jaden Shackelford (Alabama) was released by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Hornets start the season against the Atlanta Hawks at 6 p.m. CDT Wednesday in Charlotte, North Carolina.

In his first two NBA seasons, Thor averaged 3.2 points and 1.9 rebounds in 102 games while spending some time with the G League’s Greensboro Swarm in each campaign.

But after averaging 2.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.2 blocks and shot 26.3 percent from 3-point range in his first 58 games with Charlotte last season, Thor averaged 9.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.9 blocks and shot 40.4 percent from 3-point range in his final 11.

That has Thor in line for rotational minutes behind P.J. Washington at power forward.

“I feel like I have a lot of experience just from being here every day being my third year, so that’s going to come in handy,” Thor said. “We just can’t wait to play the first game. …

“I feel pretty good, pretty confident and just excited for the season to start.”

The Kings tip off the season against the Utah Jazz at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Salt Lake City.

As a second-round pick from Xavier, Jones didn’t have a guaranteed contract for this season, but he made an impression on Sacramento coach Mike Brown in training camp and the preseason.

“The more and more I watch him and put him in different situations, the more impressed I’ve been, especially for a young guy,” Brown said. “And his upside is, in my opinion right now, pretty high. You don’t want to elevate him there quite yet. But his pace, his demeanor, his strength, his athleticism, his feel, he can play pick-and-roll, he can play off the ball, defensively he’s pretty good for a young guy – there are a lot of things that you look at and you say, ‘OK, he may be a good basketball player some day at this level.’ And he could be a high-level basketball player.

“He’s just got to keep working, keep knowing how to stay locked in even when he’s tired, and, obviously, he’s got to keep working on his shot. If he does those things, he might have a chance to be impactful in this league for a long time.”

After opening with two games on Tuesday night, the NBA has 12 games on its Wednesday schedule.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.