Charlotte Hornets: 3 goals for the final stretch of the season

Charlotte Hornets goal No. 3: Close out the defensive possession

As mentioned earlier, the Hornets play a solid zone defense. This means that they can shift and defend the shooter as the ball moves into their area. It usually results in contested shots that have a higher chance of missing.

The key is then to make sure that you secure the rebound which closes out the defensive possession. The problem for the Hornets is they are allowing 10.8 offensive rebounds per game which is 29th in the league.

On top of that, the Hornets are 25th in the league in defensive rebounds, collecting 33.2 per game. This is not good enough when they are also 29th in the league for opponent 2-point field goal percentage, despite the fact they are third in the league for 2-point field goals against.

The problem is that the Hornets are 20th in the league for second-chance points scored against them with 13.5 per game. If the Hornets can get to the defensive boards with purpose, boxing out their opposition that they close out the defensive possession.

The Hornets need to go back to the fundamentals of basketball down the stretch so that they can hope to advance a little further this season.