Hornets’ Nic Batum out at least 2-3 weeks after a fractured finger versus Bulls
Charlotte Hornet Nic Batum will miss a minimum of two to three weeks after an MRI confirmed he fractured the middle finger on his left hand Wednesday.
Batum, an 11-season NBA veteran, suffered the injury with about two minutes left in the third quarter of Wednesday’s season-opening victory over the Chicago Bulls.
Batum isn’t starting, but he and Marvin Williams are the first players off the bench. Batum can play at least three positions, and his ball-movement and defense offers some balance to a team in a youth movement.
Now what?
Coach James Borrego said he didn’t know exactly who would absorb Batum’s minutes, but one thing he experimented with against the Bulls — extreme small-ball — could factor in. Borrego started the fourth quarter with three guards — Terry Rozier, Devonte Graham and Malik Monk — and Williams and rookie P.J. Washington in the frontcourt.
That lineup intrigues Borrego as far as creating matchup problems for opponents, but he can use it only to the extent that group can defend, and that’s iffy, he acknowledged.
Rim protection
It’s no surprise the Hornets would struggle with rim protection this season; defense close to the basket was a flaw in 2018-19 and nothing about the roster changed that for the better over the summer. But Wednesday hit a new low.
The 78 points in the paint the Bulls scored was by far the most any NBA team has scored this young season. The Phoenix Suns scored 68 in the paint against the Sacramento Kings, and no other team topped 60.
Those 78 are the most the Hornets have given up in the lane since the New Orleans Pelicans dropped 78 in March 2018.
The Hornets don’t have a great rim-protector, and the closest to it — veteran center Bismack Biyombo — didn’t play Wednesday and might not see much time this season. Starting center Cody Zeller missed Thursday’s practice to address a personal matter, and it’s unresolved whether Zeller will be available to play Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Borrego advocates a “prevent-to-cure’ approach to this problem: Players need to guard better before the ball gets to the lane to keep the defense from unraveling. Williams concurs.
“A lot of this is what we can address — straight-line drives, one-on-one defense,” Williams said. “We’ve got to put the fire out early (in opponent possessions); preventively. Stop guys from taking two or three dribbles and getting to the rim.”
Rozier’s rough debut
Point guard Terry Rozier, the major acquisition of Charlotte’s offseason, had a rough first regular-season game as a Hornet: Seven points on 2-of-10 shooting and four turnovers. Rozier didn’t play the game’s last 5 1/2 minutes; his backup, Devonte Graham, finished.
“It wasn’t my best game, but I’m glad we won,” Rozier said. “It’s all a read. I’m a scorer, I know how to score the ball. Sometimes (my shot) doesn’t fall, and I’ve got to do other things. Make sure I’m being a leader.
“Not every night I’m going to have seven points, but I’ve still got to control what I can control.”
