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Charlotte Hornets: 3 takeaways from the 2017-18 season opener

By Michael Dugger

DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 18: Dwight Howard NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 18: Dwight Howard NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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DETROIT, MI – OCTOBER 18: Dwight Howard NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – OCTOBER 18: Dwight Howard NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Hornets’ frontcourt outplayed in opener

The Hornets frontcourt came into the season as the deepest part of their roster with the addition of Dwight Howard joining Cody Zeller, Marvin Williams and Frank Kaminsky in the fold. Howard and Williams will be the regular starters with Zeller in line for substantial minutes despite coming off the bench.

Howard had an okay debut with Charlotte, converting 5-of-9 shots for 10 points. He was active on the boards and finished with 15 rebounds on the night. He did some typical Dwight post moves, and cut hard to the basket which resulted in an open for a teammate. Coach Clifford will get him his touches, but being a better screener and cutting hard like he did at times tonight will create space for teammates.

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Marvin Williams did his part offensively, making 2-of-4 3-point shots on the night. But he struggled in his defensive matchup against Tobias Harris. Harris shot the ball extremely well over defenders, and blew by Williams on close outs for easy finishes at the rim. Williams’ specialty is defending small ball 4s, but he was outperformed tonight.

And finally to the two bench bigs. Cody Zeller attempted 5 shots on the night and did most of his work on glass with 9 rebounds in 23 minutes. He seemed rusty and made some questionable decisions with the ball. Kaminsky had an off-shooting night, making 1-of-9 shots from the field and 0-of-5 on 3-point shots.

These two were outplayed by Detroit’s bench duo of Henry Ellenson and Jon Leuer, with Ellenson scoring 13 points. Ellenson and Leuer used their athleticism to bother Zeller and Kaminsky at times. Zeller needs to be more aggressive with the Hornets lack of scoring options, especially off the bench. Maybe mixing some of his minutes with Kemba could get him some easy looks.

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