With one-third of their season complete, what do we know about the Hornets?
Diving into LaMelo's growth with his jumper, Malik Monk's resurgence, Terry Rozier's impressive catch-and-shoot skills, Charlotte's penchant for streaks and more
As hard as it may be to fathom considering the quick restart, not to mention the constant worrying and shuffling thanks to COVID-19 related issues, the Hornets have already hit one benchmark.
They’ve completed one-third of their season, passing it like a mile-marker on I-85.
“It feels like we’ve played at least half of our games to be honest with you,” coach James Borrego said on Monday. “It feels like we’ve been in this for a while. And I don’t know why. It just feels that way. Maybe it’s the grind of this season and playing game after game. There’s a lot that’s packed into this season.
“But I’m proud of our guys. I like where they’re at. I think we’ve got a long way to go, but I think we’ve progressed from Day One that we’ve got together. We have an identity now. We have a clear identity. Our guys compete every single night. I think when you stack us up against the league, I’ll put us against anybody every single night on how hard we play. We compete for the most part from start to finish. The results don’t always fall our way, but I respect our guys because they come out and they compete every night. They play together. They’re unselfish. They like each other. I feel like we are in a good place. We have good ground to grow on and build on.”
Beginning with the No. 3 overall pick.
Since LaMelo Ball was thrust into the starting lineup due to a chain reaction of injuries to Terry Rozier, PJ Washington and Devonte’ Graham, he’s elevated himself offensively and especially beyond the 3-point line. In his five games as a part of the opening unit, Ball has canned 19 of 37 attempts from 3-point range, punctuated by his record-making performance in Charlotte’s victory over Houston.
Ball’s on-the-job learning took another giant leap when he tied the franchise’s single-game mark for made 3-pointers by a rookie. He connected on seven of them, knocking down several from deep.
Perhaps he should have his typical pre-game rituals interrupted all the time.
“They had me waiting at my house because the COVID test or something went wrong or something,” Ball said. “So I really didn’t get my shootaround that I usually do. Came late and I guess I was (just) hitting for real. I really didn’t get my same routine. None of that.”
What’s most impressive about Ball dialing it up from long distance and nailing a whopping 51.3 percent of his attempts as a starter? He’s not just making them. He’s hitting from more than a few size 15s or two behind the arc.
“Well, it’s difficult on a defense,” Borrego said. “If he’s going to make those shots, it’s going to be difficult to stay in front of him. It opens up the court for everybody. You see that when ball-handlers, point guards can step out and shoot it with range — and Devonte’ is one of those guys. You remember last year and even this year, he has that range to pull up. When he expands his game, it opens up the floor for everybody.
“So, I’m not sure where the respect level is for his shot yet. Every team is a little bit different with him. But he’ll continue to prove that he can shoot it and he shoots it with confidence. The range he’s shot it with has really surprised me. The way that he shoots it with ease from range, it’s almost the same effortless shot whether he’s at the line or two feet behind the line. It’s almost effortless.”
And wild considering how people have tried to alter Ball’s funky stroke to no avail.
“Definitely,” Ball said. “It’s a ton of stories for real. Everywhere I went, they usually try to change my shot. But I always stick with myself and said, ‘This is how I shoot. I’m confident in it. I feel good letting it go.’ I came here and they low-key tried to adjust it a little. But I was like, ‘Nah, this is how I shoot.’ And pretty much my whole life I’ve just stuck with it.”
Borrego didn’t know exactly what to expect when initially eyeing Ball in person.
“There was concern on my part, obviously watching him and not knowing the kid and not being around to evaluate,” he said. “When we went to L.A. to interview him and watch him, there was just a confidence about him when he shot. As I sat there with (GM) Mitch (Kupchak), I looked over and I said, ‘He’s going to be fine.’ The kid oozes confidence. He believes it’s going in. That’s at least half the battle in this thing and he’s going to continue that.
“He’s fearless. He believes it’s going in. He’s going to continue to shoot it. And I think I said that after we drafted him that was one of my questions. Everyone was concerned about his shot. In the end, he has great confidence in it and he’s going to keep getting reps and better shots as he goes. That’s a great weapon to have, though, and it sets up a lot of his game. He can get to the rim. I know he missed a lot of bunnies tonight, but he got to the rim. Most of those he’s finishing.”
Another subtle improvement in Ball’s game during this recent stretch? Free throws. He’s connected on 25 of his last 27 and had a stretch of 20 consecutive makes snapped after going 2 for 3 in Friday’s loss to Utah.
Sure, he has to get better defensively and cutting back on the unforced turnovers when he tries to do a bit too much is a necessity. But you can see the tantalizing talent just emanating from Ball’s slender and wiry 6-foot-8 frame.
Add it all up and it’s going to make for an interesting decision for Borrego when Graham’s left groin sufficiently heals enough to allow him to play. Does he keep Ball in the starting lineup (hard to pull him out when he’s leading the team in scoring on some nights) or insert Graham back where he was (and going with the ‘a starter doesn’t lose his spot to injury’ page in the coaching manual of some)?
Guessing there will be plenty of chatter about it until Borrego lays it out for the masses, unveiling the direction he intends on leaning in. That could happen as soon as Wednesday in Memphis, Tenn. against the Grizzlies.
Besides Ball’s growth, here’s a few other things we’ve noticed about the Hornets lately:
MONK’S CORNER
It appears as if Malik Monk isn’t going to squander this second chance.
Since being thrust more into the rotation, a definite necessity given the Hornets’ struggles scoring when Borrego went deep into his bench, Monk’s giving them exactly what they’ve needed. In five of his last six games, all of which he’s logged more than 22 minutes, he’s reached double figures — highlighted by his career 36-point outburst against Miami.
And with the exception of one game, he’s posted a positive plus-minus ratio in each of them, too. He’s slid into the scorer and playmaker role off the bench once Ball shifted the starting unit.
“I do see energy by Malik,” Borrego said. “When he comes into the game we don’t miss a beat. He picks up right where LaMelo, Terry, Tae left off. He continues to push the pace, put pressure on the rim. He’s a shot maker and those are qualities we need off the bench. He can be a very explosive bench player and he’s filling that role right now.”
Imagine when he actually gets his full legs underneath him then.
“I’m not there yet,” Monk said. “If I was I’d be dunking a lot more. But yeah I’m getting there. I’m probably … I would say I’m 90 percent back so I’ve got another 10 percent to lock into. So yeah, man, I’m close. I’m getting there.”
CATCH HIM IF YOU CAN
Give Terry Rozier a look behind the 3-point line and he’s still as dangerous as anyone.
Rozier is among the league’s leaders in catch-and-shoot 3-point percentage. He is very, very adept at knocking down the shot beyond the arc when he’s the recipient of a pass prior to hoisting it up. He’s drained 49.5 percent of his catch-and-shoot attempts, burning defenders more often than not if they either just flat-out give him space or gamble and somehow leave him unaccounted for.
It’s an area he’s refined over the years.
“Just staying ready,” Rozier said, “staying low so I can catch it and let it go, whether the hand is up or low. Just told myself, put in the back of my mind just to shoot. Just to shoot it, read the hand and let it go. The percentage is pretty high, but all the credit goes to my teammate and coaches for just allowing me to be me and freeing me up on the offensive end.”
THEY LOVE STREAKING
You might not have noticed, but the Hornets have proven to be the basketball version of a yo-yo. Or better yet like a boomerang at times, returning back to where they originated after seemingly heading off into the distance.
With the exception of only once this season, they have not alternated wins and losses in successive games. They’ve either compiled winning streaks or losing ones. There has been essentially no in-between.
Don’t think these Hornets, who have swept both ends of a back-to-back three times this season, aren’t aware of their streaky nature.
“Yeah, we talk about it every day,” Monk said. “We talk about it every day. It’s way easier said then done, man, because we’ll let them score seven points in fourth quarter (and then) another game we might let them score 30 points in the fourth quarter. So it’s just we are still not the team we need to be, but each game we are getting a step better and (moving) a step in the right direction. So all we can do is work.”
FOURTH QUARTER FLEXIN’
Just how important is leading after three quarters for the Hornets? Words barely do it justice. It’s that key.
Entering the fourth quarter with a lead is a huge thing for them. Whenever that happens, they haven’t lost. Factoring in their latest victory, the Hornets are 10-0 when they are up heading into the fourth.
Finishing games has actually been one of their strengths and it’s stepped into the forefront lately, fueling their confidence.
“When it’s close, when we’re tight in the fourth quarter, we’re coming out on the right side of this stuff,” Borrego said. “For whatever reason we execute in the fourth, it’s tight, we get good shots, we execute defensively. We’ve been one of the better closing teams in this league. That’s not easy to do. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. That’s a heck of a job by a young team, for us to be able to close these games in fourth quarters.
“I guess we’ve got to get to the fourth quarter with the lead. That’s the thing right there. Get off to good starts. Fourth quarter, we are a good closing team.”