Some thoughts on the Hornets and their direction heading into the All-Star break
From LaMelo Ball's solid play to their offensive breakthroughs and defensive struggles, what we learned about Charlotte in the first half of the season
After wrapping up the first half of their season with an emphatic win not far from the Mississippi River, cementing a slight grip on the Southeast Division lead, Terry Rozier couldn’t deny the positives.
“It’s going to make that dinner taste a little better going into break,” Rozier said following Wednesday night’s 135-102 triumph over Minnesota, a victory in which Charlotte posted its season-high in points. “If you drink wine, the wine might be a little bit better. I think we can appreciate this win and feel good about ourselves going into the break.”
And why shouldn’t they?
By finishing their six-game road trip with a 3-3 mark and hovering at 17-18 overall, the Hornets entered Thursday’s action sitting in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and at the very top of the division standings via current tiebreakers. They boast the leading rookie of the year candidate and haven't been fully healthy since January.
It seems like somebody is always getting hurt, the latest being PJ Washington exiting against the Timberwolves with a sprained right ankle in the fourth quarter. James Borrego said Washington’s injury didn’t appear overly serious and the Hornets coach said the hope is the second-year forward will be ready when they resume play against Detroit next Wednesday.
That would be a welcomed thing for the Hornets, who could use some down time.
“I wish I could explain, man,” Rozier said. “But I’m pretty sure we all do. We all do. We can kick up our feet here a couple of days away from one another and look at things, and I feel like when we get back together it’s going to be special. But I think we all need this for our bodies, for our minds.”
When they do return, they’ll hear something that’s been foreign for the better part of a calendar year: the roar of their fans inside Spectrum Center.
“I didn’t know that,” Gordon Hayward said, adding he’s looking forward to it.
With the season’s first 35 games behind them, here are four thoughts on the Hornets:
LAMELO IS, UH, REALLY GOOD
Not exactly one for hyperbole, Rozier didn’t hold back when discussing what he’s witnessed from the guy named Eastern Conference rookie of the month twice already.
“He’s special. He’s special,” Rozier said. “We've got a star in the making. So I would just tell people just to enjoy it because you aren't going to really see too many people like him. A special talent, a special person, great person. So he deserves everything that’s coming his way. So I tell people just enjoy it because you aren’t going to see too many guys like this. Ever.”
Named to NBA’s Rising Stars U.S. roster on Wednesday, Ball finished the first portion of his initial campaign atop his fellow first-year players in points, rebounds, assists and steals per game. He also has more 20-point games (12) and double-doubles (7) than any other rookie. He’s shown he can shoot it from beyond the arc, nailing 37.8 percent of his 3-point attempts.
Although he still has to cut back on his turnovers and improve his footwork defensively, he proven he has all the tools to be the best player in his draft class. As a starter alone, in 15 games he’s averaged 20.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.9 steals in 34 minutes and shot 44.6 percent beyond the arc.
During February, Ball posted 20.1 points, 6.7 assists, 6.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals. Just how good is that? He joined Charlotte native Steph Curry as the lone two players over the last 20 seasons who averaged 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and 1.5 steals per game in February during their rookie season.
“I think he’ll continue to get more comfortable on the court and be better.,” Hayward said. “I think over the years you’ll see that, too, with experience. Decision-making, when to push it, when to hold back. Especially him being a point guard, you find out how to run a team. And he’ll get there no doubt.”
And as for all the minutes Ball is logging, while some may be worried about the potential of him wearing down, Ball certainly isn’t.
“I feel like I’m young, 19,” Ball said. “I feel like I can play all day, so I really haven’t had any problems.”
THEY ARE VERY OFFENSIVE
How have the Hornets kept their heads close to the .500 mark for the better part of the season despite all of their injuries — and there have certainly been more than a few — you ask?
Look no further than their offensive versatility.
Five players have scored at least 30 points in a game this season, paced by the eight times Rozier has accomplished it. Besides him, the Hornets have watched Hayward (5), Ball (2), Malik Monk (1) and PJ Washington (1) accomplish the feat, too. It kind of makes you wonder what the offense could eventually look like if the M*A*S*H theme wasn’t playing so often.
“When we are healthy offensively we can score,” Borrego said. “It’s a strength of ours. I think our offense has only gotten better throughout the season. Depth, playmaking, shot making, shot creation … the ball is moving and we’ve got to get better in that area. But we haven’t been whole this whole season. If and when the time comes, we’ll see what it looks like, but everybody has had experience on this roster. Everybody. So all hands on deck. We are going to need everybody to get through those last whatever games we have left. Basically half our schedule left.
“So we need everybody ready to go. I like the depth. I like the experience we’ve gotten. Sometimes these injuries open up other opportunities for other people and these guys have stepped up, added more experience and reps through this season. My goal is to get this group whole. When the happens, I have no idea.”
ABOUT THOSE DEFENSIVE SHORTCOMINGS
While they’ve appeared to have it together on the offensive end, the Hornets’ solid defensive start to the season has faded. Remember, there was a point when they were in the top 10.
But the leaks in their zone defense are frequently being picked apart. Five teams have established franchise records for the number of 3-pointers they sank against the Hornets. The lack of a consistent perimeter defense has been an Achilles’ heel.
Overall, their defensive rating of 111.8 ranks 19th. That’s not going to cut it.
“We’ve got to be better defensively,” Borrego said. “There’s been a lot of pressure these last coupe of weeks. Defenders that we count on have been out of the lineup. Big guys that we count on defensively are out of the lineup. But we’ve got to shore that up. We’re a better defense than we’ve shown the last few weeks and we’ve got to get back there.”
DON’T EXPECT MUCH REST (OR PRACTICE EVEN) FOR THE WEARY
Navigating the second-half craziness may be extremely exhaustive.
Very little breaks in between games. Minimal practice time. And a hefty workload.
That’s what the Hornets face over the season’s final three months. Borrego is already resigned to knowing things will not be anything close to how he would prefer. Call it a byproduct of the unusual circumstances.
“It’s a fine balance because I want to teach, I want to coach,” Borrego said. “I want these guys to grow and develop. But my coaching staff has done a great job making sure I don’t overload them too much because too much can be a bad thing as well. And as my former boss (Gregg Popovich) told me, ‘Less is more sometimes.’ We’ve just got to keep its simple. And I think that’s where we have to go the second half of the season, is simplify what we are doing and just do it harder and more aggressive. And I’m not going to try to add more to the mix here. We are just going to be who we are, get healthy and (have) everybody pulling in the same direction playing hard. If we do that, I think we can have a very successful second half.”
But don’t count on them using many conventional methods on the way to possibly getting there. They’re going to have to get creative and resourceful.
“My coaches are all over me right now — you can’t do too much,” Borrego said. “We cant have hour-long film sessions. It’s just too much for the guys right now. There’s a mental grind, a physical grind and not only for us. I think everybody is going through it in this pandemic.”