Charlotte Hornets at midseason: Shaky defense, surprising offense

Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford started the preseason with a firm fix on how his team would perform.

He told the players they’d need to be great defensively from the season’s outset, because the offense would inevitably come along more slowly.

Logical as those two presumptions were, based on the roster, the opposite has proven true at the approximate mid-point of this NBA regular season. The Hornets were better, sooner, on offense this season than anyone could anticipate. Conversely, they have been a disappointment – particularly recently – on defense.

Following an 8-3 start, the Hornets (20-20) have been, for the most part, mediocre. They lost five of six entering Friday’s road game against the Philadelphia 76ers, which caused them to drift from fourth place in the Eastern Conference (which, at the season’s conclusion, would mean home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs) to seventh.

They have had some significant victories (a blowout of the Grizzlies in Memphis, a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Charlotte), but they are winless against the best three teams in the East (the Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics).

They aren’t statistically awful on defense, ranked 12^th in defensive efficiency (1.035 points allowed per possession). But that number is misleading, in that they played far better defense at the start of the season.

Consider that in the three games before Friday’s road game, the Hornets were allowing 1.12 points per possession. That is comparable to the NBA’s statistically-worst team defensively, the Los Angeles Lakers.

That is frustrating, but also oddly encouraging, to Clifford.

“We have enough,” Clifford said of his team’s collective defensive ability. “We’ve proven that in stretches. We need consistency.”

As for offense, the Hornets are a head-turning 10th in efficiency, averaging 1.05 points per possession. In a league that is evolving more toward offensive players, that’s allowing the Hornets to at least play .500 ball.

Four key points on this team’s half-season performance.

Defense: Easy to diagnose, hard to fix

It’s no challenge for Clifford to pinpoint the greatest flaw in his team’s defense this season.

“Our inability to contain penetration is killing us,” Clifford said.

Dribble penetration has always been a big part of NBA-level basketball, but never have the burners in this league been more essential. When the NBA banned all hand-checking on the ballhandler, the point guard became the single-most prolific offensive weapon.

That works in the Hornets’ favor with likely All-Star-to-be Kemba Walker. But for every Walker, there is a Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City or a James Harden in Houston or an Isaiah Thomas in Boston.

Ballhandlers have been constantly breaking down the Hornets’ defense the past 20 or so games. Power forward Marvin Williams, who has probably been this team’s best defender this season, says that’s as much on help defenders as it is on the guards.

“It starts with communication. The problem is more what happens after” an opposing player’s first move, Williams said. “Whether it’s missed help or a lack of communication. Those are things we have to clean up, and things we are able to clean up.”

Surprising offense

The Hornets are averaging more than 105 points, which is appreciably better than anyone would have anticipated.

The Hornets lost strong scorers in Jeremy Lin, Courtney Lee and Al Jefferson, who left in summer free agency. But the trade for guard-forward Marco Belinelli (10.7 points, 43.5 percent shooting from 3-point range) now looks like a coup.

Beyond that, two returning players – center Cody Zeller and guard-forward Jeremy Lamb – are having more impact offensively than they did last season.

Williams says he’s not surprised that the offense has clicked, and he sees room for growth

“I felt like we have some pretty good offensive players," Williams said. "Some guys, myself included, started off a little slow shooting the basketball. I think we have picked it up offensively."

Disruptive nature of injuries

Backup point guard Ramon Sessions is the only one of 14 Hornets to have played in every game this season.

There hasn’t been any one devastating injury that has ended a starter’s season, the way two shoulder injuries took out small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist last season. But the injuries have been constant, whether it’s been hyper-extended knees for Nic Batum and Williams or a concussion for Zeller.

The first half of an NBA season is about establishing continuity and settling on roles. Clifford is a firm believer that players can’t perform their best until they know when they will play, how much they will play and with whom they will play.

It hasn’t been like that for major portions of this season. Players like centers Roy Hibbert and Spencer Hawes have moved up and down the rotation in response to various injuries and illness. Those two are veterans, so they have the experience to adjust, but it’s been a hindrance to consistency.

Consistency? What consistency?

This team has been as streaky as streaky gets. After the 8-3 start, they lost four in a row, then won six of eight, then lost four in a row, then won three in a row and then lost five of eight.

The only real pattern has been losing close games to the league’s best teams. They are 0-6 combined against Cleveland/Toronto/Boston. They have yet to beat a team in the top four in the West (although, so far, that’s a small sample size).

That means the Hornets have to be great against the likely lottery teams this season to build a competitive record. For the most part that has been true (with the prominent exception of a road loss to the Brooklyn Nets).

The problem is the teams that consistently beat them are the ones they will inevitably face in the playoffs. Something has to change for the Hornets to be competitive in the postseason.　　

This story was originally published January 14, 2017 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Charlotte Hornets at midseason: Shaky defense, surprising offense."