CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Hornets are two up and two down, through four games of the 2018-2019 season. The early returns indicate that the Hornets could still use an infusion of talent, but they appear ready to make the most of what they have. Here are a few things to know after four games.
The wins came against the Heat and Magic during an early season Florida swing. The losses were against playoff teams from a season ago, the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors. Kemba missed a layup that likely would have won the game against Milwaukee, but the Hornets were just outplayed by the Raptors.
Kemba Walker is on fire. Walker currently second in the NBA in scoring at 33.0 points per game, and in three pointers made with 21. He was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the sixth time in his career following the first week of the season. It will be hard for Kemba to keep up this pace, but it is fun to watch him find creative ways to score the basketball. If his teammates can also raise their level of play, the Hornets will be an exciting team to watch this season.
Kemba Walker
The NBA is currently an offensive league. Scoring is up league-wide. The league scoring average is 113.4 per game so far, which would be the highest in 49 years if it sustains. The Hornets are averaging 112.8 points per game and rank 17th out of 20 teams. The best offensive players need to be on the court as much as possible. I think James Borrego understands this reality. He wants the Hornets to play up-tempo and take more three point shots. To that point, Charlotte has made 58 three point field goals this season, the mot in the NBA.
Malik Monk finds a role. Former head coach and current Orlando Magic head coach, Steve Clifford, did Malik Monk, the team, and the fans a disservice when he limited Monk’s minutes during his rookie season. Monk is perfectly suited for the role he is currently filling as a scorer off the bench. He is currently averaging 13.5 points and 27 minutes per game. While his ball handling must continue to get better, he has been more decisive as an attacker and play-maker. He would be much further along had coach Clifford not held Monk back last year due to his defensive deficiencies.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is much better coming off the bench. Again, this is a departure in philosophy from the previous coaching staff. Coach Clifford preferred to start MKG along side Nic Batum. The problem is that neither player is a true shooting guard as they both are more naturally small forwards. So far this season, we’ve already seen a fun small-ball lineup that included MKG at the power forward position and Batum at center with Tony Parker, Kemba, and Malik Monk on the floor as well.
Batum had a poor season and MKG’s offensive limitations have been well documented. The lack of offense from those two players meant the Hornets often started games in a hole and had to climb uphill throughout games.
With MKG in a reserve role, less pressure falls on him offensively and his still improving jump shot is less of a liability against second units. Kidd-Gilchrist is still a very good athlete and a very smart player with a great feel for the game. He often stands out offensively and defensively against backups, which is beneficial for the Hornets bench.
You still get the defensive intensity, rebounds, blocks (he had seven against the Heat), steals, and deflections that MKG is known for, but the team is more capable of engaging in an early shootout with Jeremy Lamb on the court at the beginning of a game. As a side note, MKG has been on the floor late in games and is still an integral part of the Hornets’ rotation.
I am highly interested in how rookie Miles Bridges develops. The 11th overall pick in the 2018 draft has undeniable explosiveness and timing. He already has a highlight reel of putback dunks if you include summer league, pre-season and the regular season. His jump shot is a work in progress but shows promise. At the very least he could become an above average 3 and D player comparable to someone like Trevor Ariza. The question is whether or not he will be able to package his skills into a a complete offensive game that other teams must account for. It may not all come together this season, but I think he could be a very good player for a very long time.
Hopefully, Hornets fans are encouraged by the new style of play and different lineups we’ve seen so far. The salary cap situation made it almost impossible to add any top tier talent, so coach Borrego is essentially finding new ways to use the same players that were here last season.
It feels as if the players have bought into coach Borrego’s philosophy and that goes a long way toward competitiveness and team chemistry. With only one All-Star on the roster, there seems to be a ceiling on the Hornets’ success this season but changing the culture in Charlotte may be as important as wins and losses.
So far, led by Kemba Walker as usual, Charlotte has shown a lot of heart and more offense than anticipated. With All-Star Weekend coming to town in February, maybe the Hornets can keep their current buzz all season.
The Hornets take on the Bulls Wednesday night at 8 p.m. in Chicago.
