The Charlotte Hornets’ preseason is complete. Five things we learned in their 5 games
.JPG "Charlotte Hornets’ Gordon Hayward, left, goes up for a shot against Philadelphia 76ers’ Montrezl Harrell during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)")
The practice games are over.
Once the Charlotte Hornets succumbed to Philadelphia, 99-94, at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night, it signaled the next phase.
Or did it?
“I just told the guys, ‘Training camp ends when we get on the bus, the plane for San Antonio,’” coach Steve Clifford said. “But we’ve made good strides in these last four days. Tonight was for probably 30 minutes by far the best we’ve played. And we did a lot of good things on both sides of the ball. So there’s things to build on, a lot of things to learn from.”
Facing an uncertain timetable without LaMelo Ball after he sprained his left ankle Monday night, the Hornets are truly about to begin preparing for the 2022-23 season, which tips off for them in Texas against the Spurs next Wednesday. They probably couldn’t put their winless, five-game preseason behind them fast enough.
There are several important tasks on the horizon: Implementing things schematically. Figuring out rotations. Ironing out defensive kinks.
A crash course is on their agenda over the coming days.
“We have a lot to figure out, but I felt like we played better basketball today,” Gordon Hayward said. “So, we’ve got a week here to get ready.”
Here are five things we learned in the Hornets’ five preseason games:
Gordon good to go
When the Hornets’ top-paid player showed up on the first injury report of the preseason and missed the initial three games, it conjured up memories of how things ended in each of his previous two seasons in Charlotte. But after banging knees early on in training camp, Gordon Hayward played in the final two games and looked pretty comfortable.
Following up on Monday’s outing against Washington, Hayward’s jumper and mid-range game were on against the 76ers. He also had other nice plays, such as an alley-oop, a driving layup. and a third-quarter sequence featuring a steal and subsequent fastbreak layup.
Totaling 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists and one steal in 24 minutes had to be a mental booster. Consider it a baby step – especially since it was preseason – but still important nonetheless.
Hayward’s last meaningful game took place in the same venue back in April following a 22-game absence. It turned out to be the final time he suited up last season.
“I felt pretty good tonight with my rhythm and timing,” Hayward said. “It’s a building block, one to build on. I’m ready to get this thing going now.”
Martin shaking off rust
It took until the final preseason tuneup for the Hornets’ top defender to finally make his preseason debut. And Cody Martin couldn’t have been happier to be back on the floor.
Martin missed the initial four games, sitting out with left knee tendiopathy. Clifford repeatedly said during training camp that Martin wasn’t injured and it was more of a result of ramping activity up, leading to the Hornets playing things on the cautious side.
Still, there was uncertainty about Martin’s status against the 76ers and word trickled in just before the game that the fourth-year guard/forward would be able to play. He had a solid showing in 12 minutes with 8 points and 5 rebounds, even collecting a steal that he converted into a fastbreak layup.
“I felt good, better than I thought I was going to,” Martin said. “I kind of wanted to see where I was at and once I got moving I felt a little better. Still not where I want it to be, but it’s a work in progress and I know we are headed in the right direction. They are going a good job with my treatment, so I’m just going to keep trying to build off that and go from there.”
Martin’s versatility on both sides of the ball pegs him as a key piece for Clifford.
“He’s good defensively,” Clifford said. “He’s also a very good offensive player. Decision-making, moves the ball freely, plays well without the ball. So he helps us in all phases.”
Can they be tough enough?
There are plenty of question marks surrounding the Hornets. Their level of fortitude is one of them.
Yielding drives and points in the paint was a huge problem a season ago, and with the personnel pretty much the same, save for a couple of new faces, there can’t be a repeat if the Hornets have any legit chance to be a good team.
“I told the guys and they know it, I know it,” Clifford said. “One of the big knocks on us is physicality. Will they do the tough things? And tonight I showed that we are more than capable. They are big, strong. Our rebounding effort was terrific. We played with a lot of physicality and a lot of guys were in there, mixing it up. And that’s what we are going to have to do.”
Hayward said it starts with having the right mentality.
“I think a lot of it is an effort thing,” he said. “It’s just being in the right place, doing your job thing – not necessarily physicality. I think you can’t be physical if you aren’t in the right spots and I feel like we got better at that as preseason went on. Tonight we were physical against a physical team. They are big across the board and so I thought we did a good job tonight with that and we are going to need to do that moving forward.”
Bouknight working into rhythm
Something was off with James Bouknight’s game – until the preseason finale.
Through the first four games, he struggled mightily and just couldn’t get much going, sporting a rough 18.8% shooting percentage. That included an 0-for-12 display from 3-point territory.
Bouknight’s fortunes finally changed against Philadelphia and surely no one was happier to see it than the 22-year-old guard. He hit 4 of 8 shots, including a 3-for-6 mark beyond the 3-point line, and totaled 11 points in his best performance.
It was much-needed, given those previous rough outings. He was the first player summoned off the bench in their initial three games.
“I was happy for him that he made some shots,” Clifford said. “The thing that he has to understand – and I’ve talked to him twice now – he wasn’t able to have the summer that he wanted because of his injury and that’s nobody’s fault. So he’s not in the place where he’d like to be and he still has to continue to work his way through it. He is a talented guy, he has a chance to have a terrific career and I think help us this year. He’s just got to keep working and competing. I mean, that’s the way guys do it.”
Marked man
Mark Williams is on the outside looking in.
With Nick Richards having all but solidified the backup center spot behind starter Mason Plumlee, the Hornets’ rookie isn’t going to be a part of the immediate rotation. He’s had moments at times in the preseason, displaying an ability to score and clean the glass, and went 4-for-6 with 9 points and 3 rebounds in Philadelphia.
But he has a few areas to clean up, particularly knowing how to defend properly when a pick is being set. Clifford believes it’s one of the toughest adjustments for big men in the early going, partially because of the different ways it can be defended.
Williams has the tools to be a long-term solution and help solve the Hornets’ issues inside. It doesn’t appear it will happen immediately, though.
“He’s been a little bit better every game,” Clifford said. “The thing I liked the other night was he struggled with some pick-and-roll coverages early and he figured it out kind of on the fly and played better and better. As time went on, which is not easy I think for young guys. He’s made good progress in practice.”
