Charlotte Hornets

Who starts for Hornets vs. Pistons? James Borrego reveals plan with roster healthy

Terry Rozier will start at guard, alongside LaMelo Ball, when the Charlotte Hornets play the Detroit Pistons on Thursday at Spectrum Center.

Coach James Borrego said Devonte Graham will come off the bench in his first game back from missing seven games with a sore left knee. Borrego said Graham’s minutes will be limited at first, particularly in how long his stints are.

“Five- to six-minute stints — no more than that,” Borrego said.

The Hornets get back center Cody Zeller, who missed the last two games of the West Coast trip with a hip contusion, and power forward P.J. Washington, who suffered an ankle sprain in the second half of the Minnesota Timberwolves game.

Borrego expects to have all players available Thursday for the first time in 16 games. Thursday’s starters will be Zeller, Washington, Gordon Hayward, Rozier and Ball.

“That group has given us a good start — both sides of the ball. Now, we’ve got depth behind them,” Borrego said. “It puts pressure on guys in a healthy way — to play well and play hard.

“For us to make that next step, everybody has to play their best. There are healthy bodies (now) that can take up those minutes.”

This story was originally published March 11, 2021 at 5:32 PM.

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Rick Bonnell
The Charlotte Observer
Rick Bonnell has covered the Charlotte Hornets and the NBA for the Observer since the expansion franchise moved to the Queen City in 1988. A Syracuse grad and former president of the Pro Basketball Writers Association, Bonnell also writes occasionally on the NFL, college sports and the business of sports. Support my work with a digital subscription
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