Charlotte Hornets’ Malik Monk will play in second half vs. Toronto Raptors
Malik Monk will play in the Charlotte Hornets’ second preseason game Monday night after missing training camp and the first preseason game following a positive COVID-19 test.
Hornets coach James Borrego said he would play Monk in short stints — no longer than 5 minutes — in the second half against the Toronto Raptors at Spectrum Center.
“His conditioning is a work-in-progress. Obviously, he is still recovering (but) he’s getting there. He got a good day of work in (Sunday). Tonight, he’s going to get some run,” Borrego said.
Borrego used the same starting lineup as the first preseason game: Guards Devonte Graham and Terry Rozier, forwards Gordon Hayward and P.J. Washington and center Cody Zeller. That means Miles Bridges and rookie LaMelo Ball are the top reserves.
After rotation guys played no one more than 20 minutes in the first game, Borrego said they might be closer to 22 to 25 minutes Monday.
Several other Borrego points pre-game:
Shot, pace metrics
As bad as the turnovers were Saturday — 23, leading to 28 Raptors points — there were other promising things Borrego noticed in review. Specifically, a quicker pace, good shot value and 41 trips to the foul line.
“Our possessions last game would have been the highest possessions all of last season,” said Borrego, whose team was last in the NBA last season in that category. “Our passes would have been the highest last season by far. Our shot profile was where we wanted it — at the rim and at the 3.”
Borrego said he was also pleased that the Hornets limited the Raptors to 36 points in the paint and two second-chance points. But those turnovers have to come down greatly.
“Just sloppy turnovers,” Borrego said. “It was a little bit of their pressure and a little bit of our decision-making.”
Substitutions
Borrego said his substitution pattern Saturday was somewhat random because he was more conscious of measuring conditioning than necessarily specific groupings.
“I’ll try to get a little more specific tonight. More detailed with different combinations,” Borrego said. “I think you could see us starting the second quarter in small (ball) again. That was a good combination for us.”
The Hornets’ small unit primarily means Washington at center and Bridges at power forward.
Last two preseason games
The Hornets play two more preseason games — both against the Magic in Orlando, Fla., Thursday and Saturday nights. Typically, NBA teams might back off heavy minutes for starters close to the start of the regular season. In this situation, Borrego might do otherwise before the season opener Dec. 23 in Cleveland.
“My gut says now I’ve got to play these guys a little bit more” in the games in Orlando, Borrego said. “We haven’t played in nine months. We haven’t played together. This is all new for us ...
“My guess is (all) our guys will play all four games going forward.”
This story was originally published December 14, 2020 at 6:12 PM.
