Al Jefferson Goes Down; Charlotte Hornets’ Season Goes Down With Him

Al Jefferson is out for the next month, and it’s clear that his injury unofficially marks the demise of the already-underwhelming 2014-15 Charlotte Hornets.

And just like that, it’s back to the 2014 playoffs.

For those who do not recall, the Hornets (Bobcats at the time) were in the midst of a first-round matchup against the Miami Heat. Center Al Jefferson, who was added in the previous offseason and had almost single-handedly turned the Cats’ season around, was crippled by a plantar-fascia injury, but was playing through it.

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The Bobcats had lost two tight ones in Miami and looked to turn things around when they went home.

But that damn foot injury.

Jefferson, an elite low-post scorer, was Charlotte’s best chance at upsetting the size-less Heat. But eventually, after hobbling through the first three matchups (all losses), Jefferson had to sit out Game 4.

Al Jefferson went down, and the Cats’ season went down with him. And now, nearly a half-year later, the Hornets are facing a similar situation.

This time, though, it’s worse.

Charlotte is currently in the midst of an utterly miserable season, sporting a 10-22 record through the first two months. There have been important players — not quite as important as Al Jefferson, mind you, but important nonetheless — sidelined on virtually any given night.

There have been late-game meltdowns o’plenty, questionable rotations, poor body language (*cough cough, Lance Stephenson*), and a sense of despair, virtually across the board. For every string of wins the Hornets’ have put together, they’ve had two strings of losses.

It’s not a good year to be a Hornets fan, and things are about to get much, much worse.

The Hornets announced on Tuesday night that their All-Star caliber center would miss at least four weeks due to a groin injury.

Al Jefferson is, and has been, an integral part of the Hornets’ offense for a season and a half now, and losing him means losing an entire dimension of the team’s attack.

Since he was signed in the summer of 2013, his low-post scoring has ultimately been what helped the team vault to 43 wins last year (more than double their previous total of 21).

Since Steve Clifford was named head coach, the Hornets have been a gritty defensive club with an ultra-slow pace and a patient halfcourt offense. It’s always been defense first. The issue is, with much of the energy expended on defense (although Clifford’s system is quite conservative), few is left for the other end of the court.

And this, in essence, is why Jefferson was so valuable. He provides an excellent blend of size and coordination, using his soft touch, crafty footwork, and of course, his patented ball-fakes, to score at ease.

This season especially (and especially especially with Lance Stephenson in the lineup), the Hornets’ offense has frequently stalled, meaning the clock has winded down and the ball has only drifted lazily around the perimeter with almost no dribble-penetration.

Since the arrival of Clifford, the Hornets offense has been slow and methodical, making smart passes — consequently, with few turnovers — and patient decisions…well, sans Kemba Walker.

The issue is, with Jefferson out, the offense cannot work under those same philosophies.

The Hornets are going to have to rely much more on transition, and while that may benefit guys like Lance Stephenson and Cody Zeller, it isn’t in the best interest of a team who thrives on controlling the pace and allowing its halfcourt defense to be established well before the opposition crosses the mid-court line.

A common misconception is that when all else fails, a fastbreak-oriented offense is a surefire solution. Unfortunately, this just isn’t true. A look at any statistics this season would indicate that a transition-based attack can actually be a hindrance when employed incorrectly.

According to ESPN, the top-five teams as far as pace are Golden State, Boston, Philadelphia, Minnesota, and Denver. Of those five, just one (Golden State at No. 5) ranks within the top-half of the league in offensive efficiency. The next-best is Boston at No. 18, and Philadelphia, third in Pace, is dead-last in offensive efficiency.

It’s possible that the Hornets play more in transition, but completely reversing the ideologies currently in place spells disaster big time, especially considering that once Jefferson returns to the lineup, things are going to have to switch right back.

And likely, this switch would be most effective with Lance Stephenson directing traffic. Unfortunately for Charlotte, he too is out of commission right now with a pelvic sprain, with no known timetable for return.

The Hornets are going to have to keep doing what their doing during the next painful month, and hopefully continue to ride Kemba Walker, who’s been playing out of his mind as of late.

It’s important to note that the Hornets are better on both ends of the floor — at least, statistically speaking — without Al Jefferson playing, but the big man hasn’t seen much time with the healthy starting unit, so it shouldn’t be taken too seriously — after all, Big Al is posting 18.0 point and 8.2 boards per game in 32.2 minutes per game, the lowest mark since his sophomore season.

As previously stated, the Hornets are 10-22, fifth in their division and 12th in the Conference. They remain four games back of the eight-spot in the poor, poor East. Still, with Jefferson and Stephenson sidelined, expect that gap to widen.

The pipe-dream of a playoff appearance is unattainable now; in a month, it will be laughable at best.

Better luck next year, Charlotte.

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