LaMelo Ball’s all-star push, Gordon Hayward hitting form in his latest game, and more as we roll out the latest Hornets TSR Mailbag
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It may have been a while, but we’re back at it again with our latest edition of the Hornets TSR Mailbag.
This franchise has faced more than just a few ups and downs this season, giving us plenty of positives and negatives to pick from, and overall, just a lot to talk about.
So, with that in mind, let’s get into it, shall we?
Positive: LaMelo Ball needs to be nominated for his first All-Star team
LaMelo Ball may have been having some slightly inefficient shooting nights off late. But, the fact of the matter is, the man has come up big for the Hornets on countless occasions. Heck, just recently he hit this game-clinching floater against the Milwaukee Bucks to seal the deal for his teams.
Even when he isn’t quite hitting his shots though, the man is playmaking at a very high level for his team. Without him on the court though, the team very clearly struggles to get any kind of easy offense, even when Mason Plumlee playmakes out of the post.
In more ways than one, Melo has been playing at an All-Star level for this franchise. And this year, he should get his first All-Star selection to show for it.
Negative: Miles Bridges needs to be a better shooter from beyond the arc
We move from one potential All-Star to another… just not quite for the right reasons.
Miles Bridges hasn’t been the best for Charlotte Hornets from deep this season. For context here, the man shot a soaring 40% from three just last season, hence acting as a very legitimate threat from beyond the arc.
This season, however, the man is shooting just 31.8% from the same distance, and it isn’t just because he is on the ball more.
From the corner on the right, the man has made just 7 of his 22 catch-and-shoot attempts, which comes up to 31.8%, while from the left corner, he has made only 12 of 37, which is 32.4%. For context here, the league average for these spots stands at 38.1% and 37.9% respectively. That chasm of a difference isn’t what you want to see from a shot he considers to be his bread and butter.
In response, defenses have also sagged off him quite a bit, clogging up the lane, and limiting not only his offense, but others that love driving in as well, like LaMelo Ball, and Terry Rozier.
Miles Bridges has most definitely taken a jump in his overall play. But the Hornets need him to get back to the level he was at last season if they are to compete with the best in a strong Eastern Conference.
Positive: Gordon Hayward may have finally recovered from his slump
To be clear here, Gordon Hayward was never playing badly for the Hornets, per se. At the end of the day, the man is averaging 17.3 points, on 47.1% from the field, and 39.2% from three. But, we’d be lying if there wasn’t a little something missing from his performances, something that forced the Hornets not to rely on him as much.
In the last 5 games though, the man is 19.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.4 steals, while shooting 54.8% from the field, and 40% from beyond the arc. While that may not be the biggest jump in the world, what he does on the court to make it happen makes the Hornets that much stronger during every game.
Further emphasizing this point, in Charlotte’s most recent game against Philadelphia, the man recorded 30 points, 7 assists, and 3 steals, while shooting 81.3% from the field, and 4 of 4 from three. Heck, the man even went perfect from the field in the first half.
If Hayward can keep this up, who knows what the ceiling could be for this team.
Negative: On ball defense
We won’t lie, this isn’t a major negative for the Hornets. After all, they are tied with the 76ers for the 10th best defense in the league. However, it is still a problem that needs to be addressed.
Almost every player in the Hornets’ starting lineup is being blown by a bit too easily. And given that their interior defense is a bit weak already, once the offensive player has blown by, there isn’t much stopping him from a relatively easy shot at the rim.
This has reduced as the season has gone on to be fair. However, this is a problem that has bitten Hornets in the backside on countless occasions, sometimes even being the reason they lose a close game.
Fortunately, this mostly comes down to the players’ level of concentration. And keeping that high, even at the end of games would go a long way in fixing this problem.
Positive: Help and Off-ball defense
Frankly, this is why the team ranks as high as 10th in the league when it comes to defense.
In many ways, the Hornets have looked like the Bulls on defense. They are undersized oftentimes, and even look a tad bit weak sometimes during some on-ball matchups. However, their steal and help-heavy defense often makes them tough to break down, and even forces opponents into some really bad shots, during key possessions.
Of course, they aren’t really even close to as good as the Bulls when it comes to on-the-ball defense. But, the fact that they have been able to cover it up so much is a pretty massive positive in its own right. We only hope that this exciting young team can keep up the good work.
