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Five things that intrigued me about the Charlotte Bobcats at summer league:
1. Byron Mullens discovers defense.
There was much fretting when Mullens went 2-of-14 from 3-point range during the first two games in Las Vegas. Understandable, but that disregards how much more involved he seems with rebounding, shot-blocking and charge-taking. We’ll see how that translates to the regular season.
2. Jeff Taylor might be quite a find.
The Bobcats don’t have an impressive draft history. Taylor might change that. He is a physical defender, a talented scorer and a smart, mature guy. He should not have lasted to No. 31.
3. This crazy trapping defense is fun.
New coach Mike Dunlap has this stat that an NBA team with four fewer turnover than they force wins 70 percent of the time. In this summer league, the Bobcats have forced 69 turnovers while committing 41. That has generated 82 Bobcats points to 32 for opponents.
4. Kemba Walker is dramatically happier.
Not that it’s their job to please Walker, but this system optimizes his strengths: Lots of early offense, full of drives to the rim and pitches to teammates.
5. Bismack Biyombo is struggling.
Maybe no one is trying harder, yet Biyombo looks out of place in this system. There ought to be a way to incorporate him.
