With Marvin Williams gone, the Hornets don’t have a crutch for leadership. Speak up!
You have to stand up for yourselves.
That’s the message conveyed in various ways to the Charlotte Hornets’ young roster the past few days. They started the season without their All-Star, ball-dominant point guard, Kemba Walker. Saturday, they lost their mentor when Marvin Williams was released to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Williams was so multi-purpose — leader, organizer, spokesman — that coach James Borrego called his presence a “crutch” of sorts. Valuable and admirable as Williams was around the Hornets, it was time for the young guys to fend for themselves.
Standing up involves speaking up, too.
“We can’t lean on Marvin, as a crutch, to handle that locker room after a win or after a loss” anymore, Borrego said after an 87-76 road victory over the Detroit Pistons. “Other guys have to step into that role. It’s going to be painful at times, it’s going to be uncomfortable. But you’ve got to step into that uncomfortable.”
From afar, Williams’ aura might seem embellished. It wasn’t. Center Cody Zeller talks about the time Williams sprinted onto the practice court with cups of Gatorade for a couple of video interns who were filling in with the reserves in order to scrimmage 5-on-5. Williams’ gesture, Zeller said, was to make everyone feel valued.
“Some people wouldn’t have known their names,” Zeller said of the staff Williams lauded that day.
Speak up
When Borrego first spoke Saturday about the leadership void that must be filled, he mentioned forwards Miles Bridges and P.J. Washington specifically. I’m sure he figures point guard Devonte Graham is already vocal. He needs Bridges and Washington joining in.
“To be a leader, you must vocalize what you believe, what you stand for,” Borrego said.
I’ve asked Bridges and Washington what they drew from Williams, and how they must respond to his departure.
“We’ve got to hold each other accountable,” Bridges answered. “What Marvin taught us most is how to be professional. On the court, off the court, on the bus after losses. We will take (to heart) what he taught us.”
Washington mentioned the speak-out element.
“The biggest thing we learned from him is being vocal,” Washington, a rookie, said. “That’s a big thing I’ve got to do. Know everything (strategically) we’re in. Act like a leader out there.
“It’s definitely a hard role to fill, but I’m excited about it.”
Right intentions
Plenty is flawed about the Hornets. Monday, they were a bad team that beat a worse team. The Pistons have now lost 10 in a row to the Hornets.
But the Hornets’ limitations are talent and depth. They don’t suffer from selfishness. Borrego said it was obvious quickly when he was hired in the spring of 2018 that he’d inherited a high-character locker room. Teammates don’t have to be best friends, but they must respect each other in a way that allows everyone to succeed.
It was a major hit when All-NBA point guard Walker left for the Boston Celtics. If any good came of that, it was the Hornets becoming a more diverse offense. Borrego takes pride in the fact that the Hornets are 5th among 30 NBA teams in average passes made at 305.6 per game.
That doesn’t automatically make for scoring, as Monday’s 87 points illustrate. But it shows an effort to do the right thing. Borrego said that in the pursuit of more talent over the next few seasons, he doesn’t want that chemistry being sacrificed.
“That’s not going to change,’ Borrego concluded. “We’ve got to bring the right guys into this locker room — high character, high IQ, care about the team more than the individual.
“We’ll build it that way.”
This story was originally published February 11, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
