Hornets coach James Borrego’s favorite word -- ‘clarity’ -- guides this rebuild
When Charlotte Hornets coach James Borrego laid out his plan in September — pivot hard to playing young guys without just freezing out the veterans — I was skeptical.
I wasn’t sure how he’d strike that balance without risking looking arbitrary. It’s tough prioritizing development without just giving up on winning games.
He’s pulled it off without allowing players to treat this like intramurals. The Hornets aren’t good, but they’re resilient and they’re respectable. Friday’s overtime loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder illustrates this.
The two young guys with the best chance to be starters on the next playoff team — Devonte Graham and P.J. Washington — logged the most minutes. Young guys with a shot to be part of something down the road — Miles Bridges, Terry Rozier, Cody Martin and Malik Monk — also played a lot.
Now, about the veterans; Marvin Williams played just 14 minutes and Nic Batum and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist didn’t play at all. I suspect that’s indicative of the second half of the season. I don’t think Batum will fall outside the rotation, but I think his role will be limited. Same for Williams, if he isn’t traded before the Feb. 6 NBA deadline. I don’t know what becomes of MKG, but I hope for his sake a buyout eventually happens.
Borrego learned well from his mentor, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, about people management. If you’re transparent with your agenda and act fairly in your choices, players will respect you. Players know where Borrego stands, whether they all like the choices he’s making or not. No one accuses him of saying one thing and doing something else, best I can tell.
Show you care
The beat writers talked to Borrego about this after practice Thursday; specifically, how he’s managed to keep the whole roster engaged through the shift to youth. Even with that shift, Borrego has used just about all 13 of the players on guaranteed contract in at least a few key moments over the first 30 games.
Borrego continuously used the word “caring.” As in you must try harder with the guys who aren’t playing to show you care than with those who are.
I’ve seen that in action with this coaching staff. Veteran center Bismack Biyombo wasn’t playing much early, and he told me the assistants were always available to come back for one-on-one sessions late-afternoon to keep him ready.
Then Biyombo got his chance, when Cody Zeller bruised his left hip. Biyombo stayed engaged, with the support of the staff, and played so well that he held on to the starting job.
Borrego kept using Biyombo because it was the right basketball decision. But it also made a statement of sorts that if a veteran performs, he’ll still play, even nine seasons into an NBA career amid a youth movement.
Contracts aren’t his concern
When I talked to Borrego about this back in September, he asserted that contracts, salaries and where a player was drafted aren’t his problem. Since general manager Mitch Kupchak was sitting next to Borrego, it was obvious Kupchak agreed.
That’s how it’s worked: That the Hornets owe Batum $52 million this season and next doesn’t force Borrego’s hand. That Monk was a lottery pick doesn’t mean he must play more than Martin, a second-round pick.
One of Borrego’s favorite words is “clarity,” and that’s what he’s practiced:
He spelled out exactly what he would do. Then he stuck to it.
This story was originally published December 28, 2019 at 6:00 AM.
