Charlotte Hornets’ Chances Better Than Ever

Charlotte Hornets fans simply cannot do another year of the team coming up short of its high expectations.

Perhaps, then, we shouldn’t set the bar so high. Right?

That is the giant question facing the Queen City as the NBA season gets back into gear: how will the Charlotte Hornets fare this year?

ALSO ON HOOPSHABIT: 25 Best Players To Play For The Hornets

Well, after six games, the results are… inconclusive.

Inconsistency was the most plaguing aspect of the 2014-15 Hornets’ season, and it seems as though that may be the case again, despite the complete roster overhaul that occurred this past summer, in which Charlotte added seven new faces.

The Hornets, thus far, have picked up two wins in six tries. Their variability — dropping three close contests in a row, then massacring the Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks, only to be subsequently manhandled by the San Antonio Spurs — has very much impeded analysis of the team.

Inconsistency has eluded to nothing about this club other than the fact that, well, it’s inconsistent. Charlotte has looked like an entirely different team in every game its played, and frankly, that’s not a good sign.

Ideally, the team would play as it did against the Bulls in every contest moving forward. The 25-point blowout over a surefire playoff team and possible title contender was very convincing, and the win over the Mavericks (in Dallas) only encouraged further emotional investment in the Hornets. You can imagine, then, how the horrendous loss to San Antonio was so hard to stomach.

The reality is, as talented as the Hornets are on paper, their schemes are far from universally effective. Defensively, the club is about as unorthodox as it comes. Steve Clifford has long been hailed a defensive mastermind, but the Hornets’ defense has proven somewhat ineffective against teams with fast-moving half court offenses, like the Spurs.

This year, Clifford has seemingly employed a new philosophy in which the Hornets ‘grind’ for a few defensive possessions, playing conservatively (sagging on pick and rolls, single-man coverage on perimeter, etc.), but then unleash an all-out defensive blitz after a few possessions, taking opponents by surprise.

It’s understandable, then, that the tactic might work against a team with a rookie head coach in Fred Hoiberg, but render completely ineffective against the veteran-savvy Spurs led by Gregg Popovich.

Considering the Hornets’ primary identifier remains their defense — which, as we’ve established, is somewhat hit-or-miss — it’s reasonable to say that their performance night-to-night will vary considerably based on who they are playing. Still, over the past few years, the Hornets have shown that more often than not, their defense has been, for the most part, good enough.

The Spurs are obviously one of the NBA’s best teams, and have been for the past two decades. Few teams execute with the same grace that San Antonio does, and for the 29 other clubs, Charlotte’s defensive mind games have proven effective, generally speaking.

But there is the other half of the game, of course, which has been the Hornets’ achilles heel for the past two seasons.

Relying too much on isolation play, asking Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker to shoulder the scoring load, specifically, has been a predictable and ineffective strategy that has resulted in Charlotte being in the bottom-third of the league in total points per game in both of the past two campaigns.

This season, though, the narrative has been different; with Nicolas Batum fortifying the starting lineup, the offense has run primarily through him. That, coupled with the improved outside shooting of the team (sixth in three point percentage) and an amended offensive system that features circular off-ball movement and constant motion has resulted in a balanced and reliable attack.

At its best — really, when the shots are falling — the Hornets’ offense looks as it did in the contest vs. Chicago.

Unfortunately, we’ve likely yet to see it at its worst.

When Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was shut down for the season, Clifford elected to start second-year man P.J. Hairston. A one-dimensional shooter, Hairston has given the first unit an entirely different look than last year with MKG.

Although Hairston is only shooting 20 percent from deep, a ghastly clip, he’s considered a legitimate threat from outside, especially when wide-open. Defenses have had no choice but to stick to Hairston, especially in the short corner, which has opened up the lane for Walker and Jefferson.

Thanks to this improved floor spacing, the two Hornets stars are shooting with career-high percentages from the field. We’re only six games in, mind you, but the new, healthy offense has yielded excellent results for the two cornerstones, and the team overall.

The Hornets have another a new commodity this year: depth. With Jeremy Lamb, Jeremy Lin, Spencer Hawes, Cody Zeller, and Frank Kaminsky comprising the reserves, Charlotte has the luxury of knowing that the drop off from first- to second-unit will be marginal, if not nonexistent.

The Hornets’ bench is currently seventh in the league in points per game (40.0), an impressive mark for a group that hasn’t had much time to gel.

More from Hoops Habit

• 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
• NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers

Of course, the Charlotte Hornets’ chances at a playoff spot hinge on more than just their own play. Luckily, the other clubs in the East aren’t looking much better, generally speaking. The Detroit Pistons have turned some heads early on, and are considered a near lock for the playoffs, but the rest of the conference has been wildly underwhelming as a whole.

The Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics, and Brooklyn Nets — all of whom were playoff teams last year — are out of the postseason picture at the moment.

Although five of the eight current playoff teams have started — or are in the midst of — a winning streak, Charlotte’s has the advantage of an easy schedule moving forward. With only two playoff teams (Bulls and Timberwolves) on the radar over the course of the next nine games, this early-season stretch could make or break Charlotte’s season.

Unlike in years past, the easy games are coming early for the Hornets this year, which makes it ever-important for them to pick up some easy wins and vault themselves back into the playoff picture so as to not get stuck in the cellar after the season’s first month, and spend the rest of the year playing catch-up.

The Hornets are in the honeymoon stage right now, but that doesn’t take away from the importance of this upcoming stretch. No win is guaranteed — ever — but the Hornets’ play to close out November will teach the league a lot about them.

History has taught Charlotte Hornets fans a thing or two about disappointment. This season, though, the team has the tools to write a new narrative.

Next: NBA: Top 10 Candidates For 2015-16 Rookie Of The Year

This new-look squad is going to make a statement. Watch them.