Charlotte Hornets: Does Preseason Mean Anything?

One of the more interesting teams heading into this NBA season is the Charlotte Hornets. Yes, those Charlotte Hornets, who suffered last season as a result of adding Lance Stephenson, who was supposed to take the talented and underrated team to the next level after a surprise playoff appearance in 2014. Stephenson was everything the team did not need, as he shot a miserable 17.1 percent from deep. Kemba Walker, the team’s leading scorer, averaged 34.3 MPG (most on the Hornets) and shot 30.4 percent from deep, which is also unacceptable.

The backcourt duo of Walker and Stephenson sounded so nice when looking at both players on paper, but they could not shoot the ball, they could only score by attacking the rim because even their overall field goal percentages were low. Walker shot 38.5 percent from the field, while Stephenson shot 37.6 percent.

Stephenson was clearly not the right fit for the Hornets, and the team is hoping that their new additions will get the team back on the right track for another playoff appearance. The team drafted Frank Kaminsky and added Nicolas Batum, Jeremy Lin, Jeremy Lamb, and Spencer Hawes to help with the team’s three-point shooting problems.

The Hornets have had a very impressive preseason, achieving the NBA’s best record (7-1). Yes, it is the preseason, but the team seems to have found a grasp on their shooting woes as well. The team shot 36.1 percent from deep during the preseason, which is a small sample size, but they are figuring out the spacing of their very new team.

The only loss for the Hornets in the preseason came against the Indiana Pacers, and the team shot 26.9 percent from deep in that game, plus the team was without many of their better players like Al Jefferson, Batum, and Lin who sat out. The Hornets understand how important their three-point shooting is, and coach Steve Clifford is going to make sure that their offense can shoot the basketball.

Hornets Season Outlook

The team made many different offseason acquisitions to improve primarily their offense because their defense is actually pretty good. The Hornets will miss their versatile, do-everything guy in Michael Kidd-Gilchrist because he suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder in the second quarter of the preseason opener against the Orlando Magic. He was coming off his best season as an NBA player, as he lead all small forwards in the NBA in rebounds with 7.6 per game.

He could play multiple positions and guard multiple positions, so now the team will have to rely heavily on players like Batum, Lin, plus Marvin Williams and Cody Zeller must step up in the frontcourt. Batum is coming off a bad year in Portland, but he has the ability to do so many things on the offensive end. The Hornets are going to need Batum to shoot more efficiently this year because he shot 32.4 from deep last season and his career average is 36.3. He did shoot 40 percent from the field as a whole because he is crafty when he attacks the glass, but the Hornets are expecting a lot out of Batum.

Lin has been sensational during the preseason, it is not the second coming of “Linsanity”, but his different hair-styles might have given Lin more confidence during the preseason. His mid-range jumpshots have looked deadly, and he has even been able to hit from deep. In his last five preseason games, he has averaged 15 PPG, while shooting 58.1 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from deep. Everyone has seen Lin shock teams with his offensive ability and big shots, but maybe this year with the Hornets, Lin can find a consistent routine where he can be a great asset off the bench like Isaiah Thomas or Jamal Crawford.

P.J. Hairston is another player that will contribute for the team this year, and he will start on opening night to try and fill in for Kidd-Gilchrist. He has shown that he can shoot the ball, but he also has shown that he can be a little overconfident when it comes to shooting. He is not afraid to shoot the ball at any time. Hairston does have great size for his position, but he must step up on defense. Lin, Hairston, and Lamb will all probably get a crack at the starting lineup at some point to try and fill the void.

Marvin Williams and Cody Zeller are going to have to pick up the slack for the absence of Kidd-Gilchrist’s defense in the frontcourt. Zeller has shown that he can be a pretty good rim protector, and Williams has shown in the past that he can be versatile by playing multiple positions.

Al Jefferson is the guy that will also need to step up and show that he can still make big contributions for the team in the frontcourt. Jefferson declined statistically in almost every major category, most notably in PPG and RPG. He averaged 16.6 PPG and 8.4 RPG last season, and during the 2013-2014 season he averaged 21.8 PPG and 10.8 RPG. His minutes played did decline from 35.0 MPG to 30.4 MPG, but the team relied on him heavily to score in the paint and he had the worst field goal percentage he has ever had as a pro by shooting 48.1 percent from the field. There are more options this season for the Hornets, and that should alleviate some space for Jefferson, especially since the Hornets added better shooting, which should help out Jefferson greatly.

One other player that will face some pressure this season will be 2015 first round pick Frank Kaminsky. He has not played in an NBA game yet, but he will have added pressure because the Hornets thought that Kaminsky was worth four first-round picks, which is what Boston offered the team for that pick. He has always been ridiculed for his speed and size in the paint, but he does add deep shooting as a 7-footer. Kaminsky has looked pretty good in preseason, but he must be able to defend some power forwards who might be faster than him or some centers that might be bigger than him.

The Hornets made a bold pick by taking Kaminsky, but they wanted shooting along with size.

Playoff appearance?

The Hornets’ playoff chances became arguably out of reach because of the injury to Kidd-Gilchrist, but if the team can have players like Zeller, Williams, and Kaminsky step up right away on defense. The Hornets’ shooting has looked better, and if they keep that up, the team might be able to fight for the eight-seed with many other teams.

Walker, Jefferson, and Lin should be the primary scorers for the team, and Jefferson especially needs to get back to his old ways as an old-school big man that can score in a variety of ways around the paint. Consistent deep shooting and reliable frontcourt defense will determine whether the Hornets are a playoff team or a lottery team.

Next: NBA Power Rankings: Opening Week

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