Short-handed Charlotte Hornets struggle to keep pace

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

The short-handed Charlotte Hornets are struggling to generate pace and three-point shots despite LaMelo Ball's productivity on both ends of the floor.

With multiple key players absent, the Charlotte Hornets are struggling – again.

After winning just 27 games a season ago, primarily without guard LaMelo Ball, Charlotte is off to a 2-5 start in 2023-24, fresh off a 132-116 loss to the Washington Wizards in a game that was more lopsided than the score indicates. The Hornets have shown flashes of being the “surprise” team that head coach Steve Clifford has referenced on multiple occasions, that had – and still has – aspirations to climb into a playoff berth for the first time since 2016. Outweighing those flashes are lapses of low-effort, undisciplined defensive basketball.

Clifford knows this team is short-handed with Miles Bridges (suspension), Cody Martin, Frank Ntilikina, and now Terry Rozier (injuries) unavailable. But there’s a clear disconnect between the defense Clifford expects and what this roster is putting together.

“To me, to be a surprise team, I think our center position has to be a strength,” Clifford said. “We have to add to what we’re doing. When we don’t play with Mark (Williams) or Nick (Richards), obviously, our defense is no shot, and we can’t rebound. We have a good team, but we need those two guys to be in and be a positive part of it.

“The big piece tonight was that we’ve got to figure out when they downsize at 5 (center) so that we can keep (our centers) in the game. You’ve got to be able to play your five best players, and Mark is one of our five best players.”

Defensive woes

Opponents are running small-ball lineups with consistent success against Charlotte – forcing Clifford’s hand by playing athletic wings that can stretch the floor at center. Brooklyn was the first display in the season's third game, jumping Charlotte in the first quarter and trading three-pointers for twos as the Hornets have been living in the paint.

“If you break it down game by game, we have struggled when teams have gone five out. That’s what hurt us in the Brooklyn game,” Clifford said. “That’s the biggest problem. We can (fix) it; we just don’t have a lot of room for error. When Miles gets here, it’ll be somewhat different. To win an NBA game, you need good play from a lot of guys.”

Washington again exposed Charlotte Wednesday night, going five-out with Danilo Gallinari, who averages 6.5 points per game, connecting on four three-pointers for 18 points off the bench.

The story of the Hornets’ most recent loss in the first of two consecutive games against Washington, was the bench production. The Wizards’ reserves outscored the Hornets 72-29. But with so many key contributors missing in action and sixth man Brandon Miller inserted into the starting lineup, Charlotte doesn’t have many consistent options to spell the starting five.

Lineups of recent signee Ish Smith, Theo Maledon, J.T. Thor, Nick Richards and Brandon Miller aren’t going to cut it in today’s offense-driven NBA.

“Tonight was tough. Our defense has been a problem,” forward Gordon Hayward said. “What’d they put up, 130 (points)? It definitely doesn’t get easier. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing; it’s the NBA. Everybody can go, and everyone can score. Too many straight-line drives and not enough help. Now you’re scrambling, and that’s tough. So, we’ve got to be able to try to keep guys in front of us. When you can’t get stops, now we’re walking the ball up, playing against a set defense. You’re not getting the easy ones in transition, and you’re not getting the open shots. I think it just starts to compound.”

Paint production and shot profile

While Charlotte’s fastbreak points are slightly down, ranking 17th in the NBA at 14 per game, the Hornets’ paint presence leads the league. Charlotte is averaging 63.7 points in the painted area, much of it attributed to Williams’ maturation in year two, P.J. Washington’s floater and runner game, and Ball’s downhill style.

“To me, the biggest part of it is your shot profile,” Clifford said. “The best thing you can do is get fouled, which is, believe it or not, a lot better than shooting a layup. Last year in the NBA, a free throw was 1.56 points per possession. A layup was 1.32, so think about that. That is an extraordinary difference. People talk about threes; a corner three is 1.16, I think, and an above-the-break three is like 1.11. So, getting fouled is the one you want, and that’s why getting the ball going to the basket is such a big deal. Also, a layup is far, far better than a three. For most teams, if you look at three-point efficiency when the ball hits the paint versus when it doesn’t, it’s night and day.”

It’s clear Charlotte has bought into that mindset – get to the rim and the free throw line. But what’s hurting the Hornets is that paint presence isn’t resulting in wide-open kick-out three-point tries. It’s the lack of attempts and three-point threats to stretch the defense that is putting Charlotte at a disadvantage.

The Hornets are taking 28.3 three-point attempts per game, which, in today’s pace-and-space NBA, ranks dead last. For reference, Dallas is leading the league with 42.9 attempts per game and connected on 14 three-pointers in their 124-118 win against over Charlotte Sunday. The Hornets have hit double-digit three-pointers twice this season, with 11 as the most. Their three-point percentage reflects those struggles, connecting on 30.8% on the season, which is good for third worst.

Clifford and the Hornets rely heavily on Ball’s ability to hit big-time shots, stretch the floor, and find open shooters on drive-and-kicks. The 6-foot-7 guard struggled with his shot out of the gate but is third in the NBA in assists with 9 per game and has poured in consecutive 30-point performances to provide optimism when Charlotte’s full team is on the court together.

LaMelo’s rhythm

Ball scored 34 points against Washington – the most he’s scored since February 2, 2022. Ball kept it short when asked if he felt he’d return to All-Star level form.
“I feel like myself, no matter what,” he said. “Hurt or not hurt, I’m always just going to be Melo.”

Ball is wearing innovative braces on his ankles, with seatbelt-like technology that tightens if his ankle begins to roll. After undergoing successful surgery to address a fracture in his right ankle in March, Ball’s minutes are ramping up – especially with the Hornets down multiple key backcourt contributors.

In the loss against Dallas, he posted his best performance of the season with a 30-point triple-double in 39 minutes, the most he’s played this season and close to his pre-injury usage.

“LaMelo played 36 minutes (Wednesday). I’d say that’s about right – about 34-35 minutes,” Clifford said. “The other night (against Dallas), he played a lot because, frankly, if we would’ve taken him out, we wouldn’t have had a chance to win. You can tell he’s in rhythm. His pick-and-roll game is really improving, and he’s also playing good defense. He’s working hard at the defensive end.”

Ball is playing 32.1 minutes per game through seven games, which is nearly identical to his total of 32.3 during his All-Star season in 2022. Ball is returning to form, and Charlotte will need more of that to right the ship following a sluggish start.

What’s next?

Charlotte will get another shot at the Wizards in Washington on Friday to start a two-game road trip, concluding with a stop at Madison Square Garden to take on the Knicks on Sunday.
Charlotte’s In-Season Tournament matchups tipoff on their return to the Spectrum Center with Miami on Nov. 14, and the revamped Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 17 – which is the presumable return of Bridges following his 10-game suspension.

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