Hornets’ James Borrego is looking for a reason to keep Jalen McDaniels, Caleb Martin
It’s easy for Charlotte Hornets coach James Borrego to keep rookies Caleb Martin and Jalen McDaniels motivated.
“It’s their job to put pressure on me to keep them here,” Borrego said after the Hornets’ come-from-behind 115-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.
“They understand that. For them to stay in our program right now, there is a level of accountability, there is a level of professionalism they need to carry themselves with.”
Borrego has a simple, firm rule about young, developmental players: If they have a realistic chance to play in Charlotte, keep them with the parent club. If they’re just sitting and watching, they instead belong on the court for the G-League Greensboro Swarm.
Wednesday, both played and did OK. Caleb became the first undrafted player to start for the Hornets since Treveon Graham in the 2016-17 season, scoring eight points. McDaniels, a late second-round pick, was the first player off the bench, recording 10 points and six rebounds.
That Martin played 25 minutes and McDaniels played 23 was largely circumstantial: Guard Terry Rozier didn’t play because of a sore knee, opening a starter’s spot for Martin. Both rookies were called up to Charlotte in reaction to veterans Marvin Williams and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist being released via buyout Saturday.
But now that they’re here, they don’t want to go back. Same as it was last season, when Devonte Graham and Dwayne Bacon spent chunks of time with the Swarm before getting minutes with the Hornets.
No surprises
I asked McDaniels and Martin what has surprised them about the NBA the past two games. I found it interesting they each said nothing has.
“It’s no different,” said McDaniels, who was picked 52nd in June. “It’s like an audition. I want to be up here, I feel I deserve to be up here, and I’m trying to show that.”
Martin concurred: “Walking in here, it’s all similar for us. The only difference is a couple of new teammates.”
That is precisely the goal. When Mitch Kupchak took over as general manager in Spring 2018, he beefed up the development program. There was greater synergy with the Swarm last season and that produced, with Graham and Bacon benefiting greatly. Kupchak got approval from owner Michael Jordan this past fall to add a developmental specialist, Nick Friedman, to create even more synergy.
Martin, who has spent most of the season in Greensboro, said it’s remarkable how well prepared he felt for his first NBA start.
“They do the best job they can to simulate a real NBA game,” Martin said of the Swarm. “The play is a little bit different, but as far as the style, the pace, the reads, they’re all the same.”
Coach them hard
Borrego might not use the word “rebuild,” but he certainly understands that’s what this season is. By far the most important thing to accomplish in the remaining 28 games is to develop and evaluate every young guy. That group now includes Martin (twin brother of second-round pick Cody) and McDaniels.
Borrego said he’s coaching these two rookies particularly hard right now because NBA playing time is so valuable in forming habits. Even if they are far removed from a playoff race, habits are the dividend to this season.
“This is not about going through the motions for 30 games. We want to be in attack mode,” Borrego described.
“This is about building the right habits for the big picture. We understand where we’re at (in the standings), but we want to raise our standard and that really starts with those habits.”
This story was originally published February 13, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
