The Charlotte Hornets right now are looking bright, specially with the emergence of Lamelo Ball. Ball just set the NBA record for youngest player to record a triple-double last night after missing it the night before by one assist. He's been looking really good so far, and the biggest worry I had about him, scoring with efficiency and volume, hasn't been an issue.
Lamelo is averaging 13-6-6 on slightly below average efficiency, but since his debut he's averaging 14-7-6 shooting 38% on 3s 51% on 2s and from above the break he's hitting 42% of his threes. He's putting all of my concerns to rest. It's early, but it looks like the Hornets have found their guy.
So far Lamelo hasn't started a game, but he's more than earned that role. Right now the starting lineup is Graham, Rozier, Hayward, Washington, and Biyombo. Devonte Graham so far has been absolutely horrible and can't put the ball in the basket to save his life. He's shooting 27% from the field and has a TS% of 41.6%. Despite being a candidate for the most improved award last year, it looks like he's the clear odd man out.
Depth Chart:
That looks like a pretty good lineup, or at least one that makes sense. There is a huge hole at center though with the injury to Cody Zeller, leaving just Biyombo and PJ Washington to fill all 48 minutes. Hayward and Rozier have also been really good. Honestly, the only real underperformer so far has been Graham.
As for what to do moving forward, this team looks to be in a great position, if:
- Rozier continues to score around 20 ppg on above average efficiency
- Hayward stays healthy and keeps playing like Utah Hayward
- Graham figures out how to put the ball in the basket again
Lamelo Ball is proving he's the real deal. The Hornets have known this since the moment they submitted their pick, and they've built a nice looking team around him, with cap space in the future to add even more pieces. The team is trending sharply upwards, and it won't be long before we see them in the playoffs.
Comments
Post a Comment