LaMelo Ball and the Hornets have looked a far different team from last season. This mailbag discusses the ups and downs of the Hornets in week 1
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Welcome to TSR Mailbag.
This is a brand-new series, where we discuss the positives and negatives, shown by a specific franchise in the NBA after every 7 games played. And for this edition, as you can probably already tell from the title, we are going to be focusing on LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets.
So, without further ado, let’s kick this off already, shall we?
The Good
Given how quickly this team is evolving, if we were to count how any positives we have seen from them relative to last season, we’d probably be sitting here for the rest of eternity.
Instead, we’ve picked on 3 key positives that we feel deserve to be brought to your attention about this exciting team.
Scary Terry returns to the fray
Terry Rozier has been one of the Hornets’ best players for quite some time. So, needless to say, when the man was out with an ankle injury, the team felt the difference.
The good news is, he’s back. The better news is, the man is in far better condition than expected, as he scored 14 vital points on 40/44/100 shooting splits.
Needless to say he will get better with more games played. And that prospect alone makes Charlotte that much more threatening to the hierarchy of the NBA.
Miles Bridges is a genuine contender for All-Star this season
Nearly 25 points per game, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.6 steals while shooting 50.8% from the field, and 37% from three? Yeah, in case you didn’t know who he was already, there is a good chance you will find out this season.
In the Hornets’ first 7 games, the 23-year-old has been nothing less than magnificent. He has come up big for the franchise over and over again.
Perhaps the only dilemma here is, how the organization divides the scoring load between Terry Rozier and Bridges. However, if they can figure it out, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Charlotte boasting one of the best offenses in the entire NBA.
Routine thunderstorms from deep
The Charlotte Hornets were a respectable three-point shooting team last season. This year though, assuming them as anything less than a team of snipers would essentially mean digging your own grave.
Miles Bridges, LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward unquestionably stand as the players you want taking the shot. However, leaving any player from this team even partially open (except Mason Plumlee) isn’t something opposition defenses should make a habit of.
Yes, this team can be streaky sometimes. Hell, there have been instances where the team can’t buy a bucket to start the game. But, you give this team enough half-decent looks, and suddenly you’ll find yourself being drenched in a thunderstorm.
And given the team’s overall ability to generate good looks from the perimeter no matter what the setting… well you can probably guess what’s likely to happen.
The Not So Good
As with everything in this world, the Hornets aren’t perfect, far from it actually.
Despite all the things that may excite fans in Charlotte, there are also some that make them want to stop watching sports altogether.
So, without further ado, let’s get into their three main negatives, shall we?
LaMelo Ball needs to be unleashed by James Borrego
And frankly, this is a problem that has existed since the Ball brother’s first game with the franchise.
Yes, James Borrego has finally made LaMelo Ball a starter. The only problem is, he takes him out of the game far, far too early during every quarter.
It is easy to see what the head coach is trying to do. Ish Smith is a very good player off the bench, so it makes sense to give him meaningful minutes. But, the thing is, while this may work for other players, allowing Melo to only play half the quarter before pulling him onto the bench severely limits what he can do.
Ball has a unique ability to not only make plays at an elite level but also pressure the defense with his tremendous scoring. But, for him to do what he is capable of, he needs to stay on the court for longer so that he can get into a rhythm.
The good news is, Borrego seemed to realize this reality in the second half of their most recent game, resulting in the man going off for an efficient 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Now, we just hope the Hornets head coach does it consistently for the rest of the season.
Inside defense
On the perimeter, the Hornets have taken some serious strides defensively. On the inside… well, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that there is none.
Yes, Miles Bridges and PJ Washington come up with highlight plays from time to time. For the most part though, once the opposition gets the ball on the inside, it isn’t uncommon to see them getting a wide-open layup at the rim.
If the Hornets want to be a top team in the East, this needs to change, and quickly so too.
Personally though, we don’t see this aspect of the team improving until they bring in someone new who can play that role at a high level.
Gordon Hayward seems to have taken a step-back
To be clear here, Gordon Hayward hasn’t played abysmally by any means. However, we’d be lying if we said he was the same player as last season.
During 2020-21, the former Celtics man was Mr. Reliable, making shots consistently on offense, while functioning as a good team defender on the other end of the floor.
This season, however, the player almost seems a bit groggy. It takes him quite a few shots to really get going, and his defense seems to have taken a dip as well. Simply put, his consistency and overall quality seem to have taken a massive hit.
This could just be a problem that fixes itself as the season goes on. But if not, it could severely affect the consistency levels of the Hornets as a whole.
