What to look 4: Four things to keep an eye on with the Hornets in 2020-21
LaMelo, Gordon Hayward top Charlotte's storylines heading into a season of anticipation
There’s a part of them that didn’t forget the disappointment, frustration and myriad other feelings they were experiencing after they weren’t extended an invitation to the postseason festivities.
Flashback to March, when the Hornets were last playing meaningful games. They were in the midst of their best stretch of the season, knocking off Atlanta and Miami in successive games on the road. They were in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, leaving them believing they were going to be among the teams competing in the play-in tournament for the final spot.
But when the NBA drew up the blueprint to restart things during the summer in a postseason bubble in Florida, Charlotte wasn’t invited. And it stung.
Combine that with the enthusiasm created by the arrival of LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward, and it all has the Hornets eager to get it going this week. They appear motivated to halt a postseason drought closing in on half a decade.
“I just want to get to the playoffs,” Bismack Biyombo said. “That’s what I’m most excited about. Because there’s things that didn’t feel good, going through the whole process when they were trying to figure out the bubble. We could have made it, (but) rules were changed. It was like, ‘Yeah, we could have been one of those teams.’ But things didn’t play (out) our way.
“So coming into this season there’s a lot of desire that I have. We have to be in the mix and we are going to be in the mix. We are going to fight for it.”
That journey began with a foundation that’s been collectively laid over this last month.
“They’ve got a real energy about them that I love,” coach James Borrego said. “When we get to the gym when, we come to work, there is a joy about this team. And more than anything when I show up — and all of us, this isn’t just basketball; all of us that do a job for a living — when you do it with joy, there’s a great reward in that. And I can tell you, I enjoy coming to the gym every day, I enjoy the people I’m around. I want to get better, I want to see the best in my co-workers. And this group has done that to this point.
“They really have a real genuine joy about being in the gym and being around each other, and as a coach you never know what that is going to look like. This is a new group for us. I didn’t know how we were going to integrate LaMelo and Gordon, and the rookies. And it feels like we are heading down a very positive path with this group.”
Here are five things to keep an eye on as the Hornets tip off their 2020-21 season:
HAYWARD’S HEALTH
It’s no secret the past few seasons have been tough health-wise for Gordon Hayward.
So when he fractured the pinky finger on his shooting hand last week, an injury he said he believes happened when he crashed into an old teammate during Monday’s preseason game against Toronto, it quickly got people’s attention. But Hayward appears to have dodged any kind of serious ailment. He said it’s all about pain management, meaning the Hornets should have their prized acquisition available from the season’s outset.
That, of course, is a good thing. Now, it’s all about ensuring it stays that way.
The importance of keeping him from getting banged up can’t be understated. Hayward’s arrival provides Borrego with another playmaker, giving him the option to change up their look in a variety of ways. Hayward is going to be one of the people Borrego calls on to bring the ball up the court and will also run some of the offense through him.
Finding that comfort level with his new teammates isn’t going to happen right away for Hayward. Figuring out their sweet spots, tendencies and what they excel at most is a process.
“Yeah, I think I’ve already got a good feel for it,” Hayward said, “just playing with the guys through training camp, through the first two games, just watching them (in Orlando), I think they are putting us in good spots. Ultimately, that’s the key to being a good playmaker, is a lot of times the spacing and having that spacing to do it. So for us, I think it’s getting in the right spots, having the right people cutting and then ultimately making that right read.
“Certainly, it’s going to take some time. It’s definitely not going to be perfect. I think the thing that you want to do is get better game to game, week to week so that way toward the end of the season, then you are really rolling.”
LAMELO’S GROWTH
This just in: LaMelo Ball has some skills.
We’ve only seen a snapshot of the possibilities, some of which quickly made the rounds on social media. But LaMelo Ball’s potential goes beyond those eight-second snippets.
Besides the tantalizing passes, he also displayed the ability to hit shots beyond the 3-point arc and proved he can wipe the glass. He has a knack for collecting the rebound and igniting a fastbreak. And defensively, he’s long and rangy.
He fits right into the Hornets’ visions of position-less basketball and how rapidly he develops will go a long way in determining Charlotte’s fortunes.
“In general, he’s played very well,” Borrego said. “I think he’s understanding his teammates at a higher level, they are understanding him. We are going to learn a lot about each other as we go. Shot selection is something I’m talking to him about. He’s got to understand that — time and score. He’s got to understand that at a higher level. It’s a different rhythm here. He’s got to understand if we need a good shot, this is what we need.
“He’s got to understand shot selection, he’s got to understand defensive coverages. He’s got to value both ends of the floor. Those are things I’ve seen pretty consistently throughout camp. He hasn’t been perfect. But that’s not what I’m asking for. I’m asking for growth. What I’ll ask of him is that he learns, he grows, he comes in the next day, and me this kid, he’s about that.”
CAN PJ AVOID THE SOPHOMORE SLUMP?
This is supposed to be a big season for PJ Washington, and undoubtedly it will be imperative for the second-year forward to side-step those sophomore blues that can sometimes creep in.
Washington admittedly hit the rookie wall a bit just around the February All-Star break before picking it up in their final eight games, registering double figures in scoring in all but one of them. His end-of-season resurgence didn’t carry over to the preseason, though. He shot 29.5 percent overall and 14.3 percent from 3-point range.
Those numbers, Borrego strongly suggested, will not get it done. Not when the plan is to use Washington frequently at the center position as part of their small ball lineups.
“For us to have possibly the best season we can have PJ has got to play better,” Borrego said. “Nobody believes in him more than I do. He’s someone that I trust, value. But he’s got to play better. He’s got to be in better shape. We need him to peak out this season and he’s just not there right now and either he will be or he won’t be. And if he’s not, we won’t be as good as we possibly can be. And if he is, we’ve got a shot to be a really good team.
“You can blame it on the short camp, you can blame it on our style of play. It is what it is. He’s got to play better, bottom line. And he’s capable. He knows that, he’s got pride about that and we need him to.”
Washington understands the significance of his role and said he’s up for the task.
“It’s very important,” Washington said. “I mean, we want to get into the playoffs, we want to be in the hunt. So for me, I’ve just got to be consistent every night and bring energy and just do everything I can for our team win. Whether that’s scoring, whether that’s rebounding, whether that’s passing, I’ve just got to be able to do it every night.”
KEEPING PACE
Don’t blink too often. You may miss something.
Simply walking the ball up the floor isn’t something you will witness with this collection of Hornets. They are all about playing at a controlled uptempo speed and getting the ball to the opposite end of the court. It’s something they’ve tried to do on occasion in Borrego’s first two seasons at the helm, but couldn’t truly push the action.
Judging by the small sample size, now they have the personnel to better execute it.
Only seven teams averaged more possessions per game in the preseason than Charlotte. The Hornets checked in at 108.13, tying with Orlando for eighth. And while one shouldn’t put too much stock in preseason statistics for a variety of reasons, it’s overwhelmingly a far cry from their last-place pace of 96.24 in 2019-20. For context, Houston led the NBA in pace last season at 105.51.
Borrego likened this season’s offensive philosophy to a two-minute drill in football.
“There’s constant pressure on the defense,” Borrego said. “Most times they can’t sub. There’s pressure on that defense consistently. We should be at the line of scrimmage every single possession. Dead ball, I’ll make some calls. Certain situations, I’ll make some calls. But in general I want to keep constant pressure on the defense. I think our guys like that. I think they want to play in that tempo, with that sort of freedom.
“And to do that, I have to trust my guys. And I will. We’ve got to clean things up and we’ll continue to talk about it. But for us to play this style, I’ve got to trust our guys and they’ve got to own the responsibility of it. When I give them that trust and that freedom, I expect them to be responsible with the ball and make the right decisions.”
Translation: Prepare for Hornets’ fastbreak action galore.
“We’ve got the guys to get up and down, the bigs to run the floor, the wings that can spread you out and shoot,” Devonte’ Graham said. “So we don’t want the defense to get back and get set, obviously playing in rotation, having them rotating, not knowing who they are guarding and things like that. So that’s exactly how we want to play.”
You mentioned Hayward staying healthy. With many of the prized 2021 FA now off the market, do you think the Hornets front office did well to bring Hayward in now?