UA-59049186-1 NBA Team Preview: Charlotte Hornets - Good if it Goes
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NBA Team Preview: Charlotte Hornets

Offseason:

Draft Picks: None

Key Acquisitions: SF. Marco Belinelli, PG. Ramon Sessions, C. Roy Hibbert,

Key Losses: C. Al Jefferson, SG. Courtney Lee, PG. Jeremy Lin

Player Profiles

Projected Lineup

PG. Kemba Walker: 6’1, 184

  • Shoot-first PG with elite ball handling skills.
  • Natural scorer with the ball in his hands that loves to play with ball screens. His new-found 3-point shooting ability opened up his game even more forcing defenders to duck under screens less. He has no problem creating shots for himself and making tough shots off the dribble.
  • Average defensive player that can doesn’t make a huge impact, but can execute the gameplan and brings a solid effort despite carrying a major offensive load.

SG. Nic Batum: 6’8, 200

  • Playmaking wing with a versatile skill set capable of playing multiple positions.
  • Outstanding playmaking wing who led his team in assist from the 2 guard position. He can knock down 3’s and is playing with more confidence as a scorer.
  • Lean with long arms he’s been a quality defender for years and last year was no different. He can guard 4 different position depending on the matchup and skill set of the opposing player.

SF. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: 6’7, 232

  • Big strong wing that is a shutdown defender on the wing.
  • He only played in 7 games a year ago but showed potential as an improved 3 point shooter making 3 of the 7 (42%) he took. His mechanics looked a lot better and he shot with more confidence. Throughout his career he’s been a poor shooter from outside but a dangerous slasher that can score with or without the ball by getting to the rack.
  • Lock down defensive player that plays with an edge on defense. Takes pride in his work on that end battling through screens hustling to get back and find his guy in transition and denying penetration.

PF. Marvin Williams: 6’9, 237

  • 2-way stretch 4 that appears to have been a late bloomer finally reaching his potential late in his career.
  • Thrives offensively as a small ball 4. He’s become a dangerous 3-point shooter when left alone and when defenders close out too hard he’s good enough handling the ball to attack close outs and quickly get to the basket.
  • Does a really good job for a guy his size defensively at the 4. Battles to box out and do his job rebounding, he blocked 1 shot per 36 minutes and has the quickness to execute different schemes defending the PnR.

C. Cody Zeller: 7’0, 240

  • Athletic center with speed potentially on the verge of breaking out after finding himself in his 3rd season.
  • Gets the majority of his points through the pick game as a roller and popper. Much more effective right now as a roller but is improving as a shooter and showed potential of becoming a legit pop threat in the future as he improves.
  • He’s so big and fast and already had a high basketball IQ coming out of college so playing defense has come easy to him. He’s been very good defensively so far in his young career even without the gaudy shot blocking numbers.

 

Bench

PG. Ramon Sessions: 6’3, 190

  • Backup Pick N Roll combo guard that’s comfortable in both roles.
  • Can be effective at the 1 and 2 because of his passing and scoring ability. Works the PnR to score but has the vision to find teammates and set them up. Can hit the 3 but he’s not the most consistent shooter. Very good mid-range game and constantly looks to get to the rack when utilizing ball screens or off the catch by attacking closeouts.
  • Lacks significant athletic ability or quickness for a PG and it shows on the defensive end where he struggles.

PF. Frank Kaminsky: 7’0, 240

  • 2nd-year stretch big man that doesn’t rebound that well and needs to shoot better from the field to solidify himself in that role.
  • Offensively the best thing he did as a rookie was shoot the 3 and though making nearly 34% of 202 3 point attempts isn’t bad for a 7 footer it’s nothing to go crazy about either. Despite his size and college reputation for post scoring he really struggled inside scoring and wasn’t very good from mid-range either.
  • He was actually more valuable on the defensive side of the ball which nobody would have predicted coming into his draft. But he plays smart on defense and can move laterally. Those 2 things alone allow him to serve as a slightly better than average defender.

SF. Marco Belinelli: 6’5, 210

  • Veteran Italian wing who’s normally a very reliable shooter coming off the worst year of his career.
  • At his best and when healthy has been a very reliable off ball scorer off the bench showing the ability to knock down shots from mid-range and 3 at a high percentage. Can he return to form?
  • Outmatched defender who just doesn’t have the talent to defend on the perimeter at a high level. Often a mismatch guarding on the wing against players who can create for themselves.

SG. Jeremy Lamb: 6’5, 185

  • Scoring off guard who thrives inside the arc and rebounds at a very high rate.
  • On ball scorer that utilizes ball screens to set himself up for 2 point attempts. Off the ball he’s more of a slasher than shooter. His 3-point shot comes and goes but he’s very comfortable shooting in the close and mid-range areas.
  • Inconsistent defender who’s effort comes and goes but when it’s there can be pretty effective defensively.  

C. Spencer Hawes: 7’1, 245

  • Stretch 5 that needs to be hitting 3s to be useful on offense.
  • Offensively he was pretty reliable hitting 3s but struggled from everywhere else on the floor.
  • Not a bad defensive player and has some mobility for a guy his size which has allowed him to be a plus defender.

C. Roy Hibbert: 7’2, 270

  • Declining mammoth center who’s game looks extinct in the modern NBA.
  • Offensively he’s struggling to find a way to be productive on the floor. He’s not good enough scoring in the post to warrant touches on the block, not consistent enough shooting it to be a pick n pop threat and doesn’t move well enough or finish around the basket well enough to be trusted as a dive man.
  • Defensively he can still protect the rim just fine but he’s always been a little soft on the boards and teams have pretty much figured out when he’s on the floor just make him play in the PnR to take him away from the basket where he isn’t very good defending.  

PG. Brian Roberts: 6’1, 173

  • Undersized PG that likes to shoot and play off the ball.
  • Not a true initiator of the offense and doesn’t look as comfortable when he has to. Most valuable to a team as a spot up shooter.
  • Horrible defender that doesn’t have enough quickness to overcome his size limitations on defense.

Breakdown

The Hornets starting 5 will look a lot different than it did most of last season with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist back in the lineup at SF. He’s joined in the front court by Marvin Williams at PF and Cody Zeller at C. Gilchrist’s best attribute is his defense and with him back in the lineup the Hornets now have a true lock down defender that can battle the likes of Lebron, Melo, Derozan and Paul George. He’s been working diligently to improve his 3 point shooting and if can become just a decent 3 point shooter he can take him game to the next level.  Williams has basically become a marksman from 3 and is giving opposing 4s fits who have to make the choice to not get to close out of fear of him driving by or hanging back and letting him drain 3s. Zeller has the full endorsement of the Hornets to take over full-time as the team’s center moving forward after they let Al Jefferson walk with no interest of resigning him. If he can consistently hit the mid-range jumpers he’s going to be quite the weapon for this team. The team’s 2 best players reside in the backcourt. Both Kemba Walker, the starting PG, and Nic Batum, the starting SG had the best seasons of their careers last season. The question that they both must answer this year is was it a fluke or are they the real deal and I think both players will answer the call.

The Hornets bench gives me a cause to pause as far as how much I like this team. I think the swap of Sessions for Lin will prove to be a good 1 as he’s a better pure PG. After that there are question marks. Lamb is undoubtedly talented but consistency has been his problem his entire career on both ends of the court. Some games he can shoot the 3 some games he can’t. Some games he’s a good defender some games he’s not. Can he play up to his potential on a consistent basis? And then there’s Belinelli who when he’s right can be a very good piece off the bench as he was a few years ago for the Spurs. But after his play last season one has to wonder is he on the decline or was it just a bad year due to injury? Frank “the tank” Kamisky figures to be the top big off the bench and he has potential but this team doesn’t have time to wait on him he needs to show the growth it took Zeller 3 years to show in his 2nd year. If he can’t the team will have to rely more upon either Hawes or Hibbert both of whom have proven they aren’t the players they used to be and probably never will be again.

Expectations

My expectation for the Hornets is another trip to the playoffs. A lot of people are writing them off because of their off-season losses of Al Jefferson, Courtney Lee, and Jeremy Lin. Those are all significant losses but they replaced Lin with Sessions who may be an upgrade, and with Kidd-Gilchrist back from injury that would’ve sent Lee to the bench where they now have Belinelli who can more than cover the loss of Lee offensively with the 2nd unit. The loss of Jefferson is the biggest and the 1 I see no real replacement for but I can say that when Jefferson was out of the lineup last year this team still was able to win games. The key piece this team still has is it’s head coach Steve Clifford who has quietly become one of the game’s best coaches. He’s proven to be an excellent defensive coach and has gotten a bunch of guys over the years who they said couldn’t play defense to play defense under him. He knows how to maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses which is 1 of the most valuable traits a coach can have. I expect the Walker/Batum backcourt to be 1 of the best in the league and I expect Zeller and Kidd-Gilchrist to be in the most improved discussion. I’m a lot higher on this team than most.

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