Charlotte Hornets: What We Learned From Preseason Embarassment

Well, that wasn’t nearly as fun as we thought it’d be.

Who could’ve guessed that the first Charlotte Hornets game in more than a decade would’ve resulted in a 14-point loss for the good guys?

More from Charlotte Hornets

• Brandon Miller, not Victor Wembanyama, is the rookie to watch in 2023
• 5 players who will challenge Victor Wembanyama for Rookie of the Year
• Ranking the 10 championship-less NBA teams by closeness to title
• 4 Reasons drafting Scoot Henderson should be a no-brainer for Hornets
• Ranking the 5 best available power forwards in 2023 NBA free agency

How about some context: the aforementioned contest was against the lowly Philidelphia 76ers … less

and Joel Embiid–likely their two best players.

That’s right: the Hornets were blown out of the water by a team that won 19 games last year with MCW as well as Thaddeus Young, who now finds himself sporting a Minnesota Timberwolves jersey.

Sure, it was only preseason, so say what you want. Keep in mind, though, that all of the projected starters for the Hornets did suit up, and the only real rotation players missing were Noah Vonleh (whose role has yet to be defined by the coaches) and Gerald Henderson.

The game was ugly all around, but there were some obvious takeaways–both good and bad–from Charlotte’s play.

The biggest issue by far was the complete lack of rim protection and in-paint enforcement on the defensive end. The whole game, the Sixers were making a living in the paint, finishing bucket after bucket against Charlotte’s bigs.

Historically, Al Jefferson has been known to be more of a defensive liability than a legit rim protector, but Steve Clifford’s system seemingly allowed Jefferson to find his defensive footing. Unfortunately for Hornets fans, that trend did not continue into last night’s game, and Philly’s personnel, from the tallest bigs down to the smallest guards, attacked the rim relentlessly.

Even the Sixers untalented unconventional frontcourt players like Henry Sims, Nerlens Noel, and Brandon Davies (who??) had a field day.

Charlotte’s defense was fourth-best in the NBA last year, and was really the most important factor behind their playoff berth. Obviously, one poor showing in a preseason exhibition versus a team whose offense isn’t horrific isn’t going to nullify and entire season of good defense, but allowing Tony Wroten to post 15 points, six rebounds and seven assists was certainly not start Steve Clifford was looking for.

Perhaps even more concerning than the defensive issues was the metaphoric lid on the basket for most of the game. The Hornets attempted 87 field goals on the game but only converted 32 of them, good for a horrific 36.8 percent. Lance Stephenson, Charlotte’s most hyped free agent signee, was expected to significantly boost the Hornets’ firepower by adding another shot creator.

Lance was wheeling and dealing all night, carving up the defense with hop steps and crossovers, but unfortunately, nothing was dropping.

There was a clear emphasis on attempting more three-point shots, an ideology that is becoming increasingly popular across the NBA landscape thanks to the emphasis on advanced metrics. Last season, the Bobcats were fourth-last in three-pointers attempted per game with an average of 17.9. Last night, the team took 22 shots from beyond the arc, which, if replicated over an entire season, would move the Hornets up to about 14th in threes attempted.

The offense was centered around the “drive and dish” technique, and when the defense collapsed into the paint, the Hornets’ shooters–PJ Hairston, Stephenson, Walker, Williams and even MKG–were left wide open on the wings or at the top of the key. Stephenson and Walker had a fantastic dynamic going in the beginning of the game, and the extra passes that the Hornets were making led to better shots, and thus, they led in the first quarter.

For most of the time, Charlotte’s players had the right idea, and classifying the offense as good basketball wouldn’t be a ridiculous claim; it was just a matter of missing shots that would normally fall for an NBA team. Gary Neal was actually the only Hornet who shot better than 50 percent from the field. Almost every player on the roster struggled, but none more so than Al Jefferson.

Last year, Jefferson had been as close to a sure thing as one can be. His post-dominance, especially on the left block, was simply unrivaled. His soft touch, well-placed fakes, and crafty footwork allowed him to score with ease against even the best defensive centers in the NBA. Night-in and night-out, Jefferson was banging around down low, putting up 25, even 30 points per game.

Nine points on 4-11 shooting was what Big Al gave his team last night.

Nine points and seven missed field goals against the rail-thin, undisciplined Nerlens Noel.

To his credit, Jefferson was burning his defenders play after play; it was the finishing part that gave Al trouble. The soft jump hooks that would normally drop weren’t landing in the hoop, and it was clearly frustrating the 6-foot-10 big man. The team ran slip screen sets, weak-side ISOs, and baseline pick and pop sets to try and get the star center going. Much to the chagrin of fans, teammates, and Jefferson himself, shot after shot clanked off the rim and fell into the hands of the opposition.

He only played 24 minutes, but knowing how important Jefferson is to the team, he’s got to be taking (and making) more shots each game.

One positive was definitely the renewed confidence of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. The Hornets’ forward has been a project the past two seasons, and regressed significantly last year after a decent rookie campaign. His lack of a consistent jumper had always been a big issue for him, but he corrected his form this summer, removing the hitch almost entirely, and so far the results have been noticeable.

Kidd-Gilchrist hit two jumpers during the game, but more importantly, he was taking them with confidence. At the free throw line, he converted five of his six attempts, good for about 84 percent–a significant increase from his 61.4 percent shooting clip from the line in the 2013-2014 season. Three pointers aren’t quite within his repertoire yet, but with some hard work over this next year, he’ll get there.

It’s tough to take too much away from one preseason game, but Hornets fans better pray that this contest was not an indication of things to come. Luckily, there’s ample time between now and the start of the regular season, meaning the Hornets have some time to improve. There’s no telling exactly what this team’s ceiling is, or how they can reach it.

They’ve got 82 games to find out.