Charlotte Hornets: Is Lance Stephenson’s Absence A Christmas Miracle In Disguise?
First and foremost, let it be clear, I don’t ever wish to see an athlete injured or unable to play. This piece will be about how the Charlotte Hornets have benefited from Lance Stephenson‘s absence, not his injury.
Trade rumors have been swirling around Lance Stephenson for weeks now, as he has nearly worn out his welcome already in the Queen City. Teams have shown interests, including the Pacers, Nets, and Nuggets, but none have made an offer good enough in the eyes of the Hornets’ organization.
As the team announced they would hang on to him “for now,” he went down with a groin injury, giving the Hornets a taste of life without Lance Stephenson.
The Hornets are riding a four-game winning streak that just so happens to overlap with Stephenson’s four-game stretch of inactivity.
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The first two games were against possibly the two worst teams in the league — the Philadelphia 76ers and the Utah Jazz. While there was some chatter about Stephenson as a result, it was clear the biggest difference in these games was level of competition.
The next two games, however, are demanding of a little more attention. While the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks aren’t even close to the better teams in the Association, they’re certainly respectable wins. As a result, the Stephenson talk is beginning to turn into a debate.
You can clearly see a difference in the play of the Hornets without Stephenson. Offensively, the ball movement has increased, which has led to a higher offensive output. Over the last four games, the Hornets have averaged nearly 108 points per game after only averaging 94 points per game in the previous 25 contests.
Defensively, the Hornets have stepped it up as well. The margins of victory in the previous four games has been 18, 18, 28, and seven. That’s an average margin of victory of over 17 points – their previous high for the season was only nine points.
If anything, the Hornets’ success without their swingman has given the team more freedom. Coach Clifford can look at the roster and choose whether or not Stephenson will be asserted back into the starting lineup or be relegated to coming off of the bench.
If Charlotte had enjoyed minimal success without Lance, no changes would likely ensue because there would be nothing to go off of. Benching him without reason would surely only add to the disruptions Stephenson is reportedly causing in the locker room.
Part of what has helped out offensively in Lance’s absence is that Gary Neal has gotten more time with the starters. His game coincides well with Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson more so than Lace Stephenson because Neal is a borderline elite shooter.
I previously went into more depth as to why that would likely be a better fit. You can check that out here.
Gerald Henderson has also stepped up his performance in Lance Stephenson’s absence, averaging 13 points per game, including 20 points Tuesday night in Milwaukee.
Even Kemba Walker has enjoyed elevated statistics without Stephenson. In the past 4 games, Walker has averaged 23.8 points per game and only turned the ball over a total of six times. Kemba is most effective when he dominates ball-control; without Lance in the lineup, he’s free to do that on every possession.
Lance Stephenson is considered day-to-day, so we’re not sure when he is set to return. When he does, it could very well be in a sixth-man role as opposed to his former starting position. Since he’ll be coming off of an injury, Clifford will likely ease him into the lineup with limited minutes.
If the Hornets continue to be successful with him in limited minutes, that could be where he stays.
Regardless of how the Stephenson saga plays out, the Charlotte Hornets will need to continue their winning ways. After a slow start, the Hornets are playing catch-up, even in a terrible conference.
The Hornets will be back on the court Friday night when they battle the Oklahoma City Thunder and look to extend their winning streak to five games.