The future is now for the Hornets. The Mark Williams era officially began in Boston
.JPG "Charlotte Hornets’ Mark Williams (5) shoots over Boston Celtics’ Blake Griffin (91) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Feb. 10, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)")
It’s almost cruel, yet right on brand for the way things have gone this season.
Each of the previously scheduled nationally televised outings on tap for the Charlotte Hornets got yanked off the air days in advance, mercifully rescuing millions of eyeballs from witnessing the prevalent struggles that continuously haunt the franchise. But the plug didn’t get pulled on one, and guess which outing remained on ESPN’s schedule?
That would be the Hornets’ first game after they publicly raised the white flag by trading off Mason Plumlee and Jalen McDaniels prior to Thursday’s deadline. And, oh yeah, it just so happened to be on the road against the top team in the Eastern Conference.
And the result was exactly what one might expect: a wire-to-wire 127-116 loss to Boston, which felt more like an all-night party for Celtics’ faithful at TD Garden on Friday rather than a basketball game.
“They are obviously really good,” Gordon Hayward said. “They’ve got a chance to win the whole thing. They play a great style of basketball. I think we just let them get too many open shots tonight, but that’s kind of what they do. They do that against everybody. So, I think we had a couple of chances toward the end of the game to cut it to single digits. We could never get that done, but we can’t get in that big a hole.”
Mark Williams’ first career start and second double-double of the season couldn’t even spark the Hornets. The rookie showcased his raw talents with 11 points and 12 rebounds, including a career-best five on the offensive glass.
But that, along with LaMelo Ball barely missing a triple-double behind a furious second half, was the gist of most of the positivity for the Hornets. They trailed Boston by as many as 28 points, and the Celtics appeared to be toying with them on occasion.
And to think Charlotte has 25 games remaining before the curtain closes on a painfully disappointing campaign. That’s a long time and staying focused and professional can’t be an option. The Hornets (15-52) have to make it a requirement the rest of the way after signaling they’re essentially going with a youth movement until season’s end.
“We had a really great talk this morning,” coach Steve Clifford said. “I think the only thing you can do is be transparent. Change is a big part of our league. Coaches get fired, players leave and you have to move on quickly. It’s like anything else, right? You want to be spending your time worrying about the right stuff.
“We’ll miss those guys. They were both good players, they were both great to have around, good teammates. But you’ve got to move on.”
There’s no choice.
“You focus on the growth,” Hayward said. “I think that’s what you’ve got to do. Focus on how you can get better at the game, how you can help the team win to try to finish out these games.”
Here are some takeaways from the Hornets’ first game without Plumlee and McDaniels:
Williams begins new era
Plumlee’s departure is directly tied to the Hornets’ future and that centers, literally, around Williams. The 7-footer needs time to develop and gain experience, and with little practice time at this particular juncture of the season there’s only one true way to do that: by being on the floor for actual game action.
Williams displayed the tantalizing skills that sparked his insertion into the game’s opening lineup. Like slamming down alley-oops, snatching a Robert Williams floater out of the air — which is no small feat — and holding his own on the boards. He’s snatched at least four offensive rebounds in four of his last five games.
“It felt good,” Williams said. “Obviously, it’s tough. We didn’t get the win. But to be out there, play some minutes, it felt good. Obviously, there’s a lot of things I could have cleaned up. But to get it in a little bit of a rhythm out there, it felt good for sure.”
On the other side of the ball, Williams also makes a difference, too. In the 25 games he appeared in prior to their date with the Celtics, the Hornets’ defense improved by 9.1 points per 100 possessions. That’s the sixth-best showing by players who’ve logged at least 300 total minutes.
But there’s still plenty of more room for growth with his pick-and-roll defense.
“Obviously, late, he had two really bad missed coverages at key times, but that’s going to happen,” Clifford said. “He’s going to be a good player, so this was great experience for him, a great opportunity.
“Listen they are good. You’ve got to be on it. Tonight, (Saturday) night (against Denver), those will be the hardest games to play. There’s things that he’s done a little bit, and now you are out there against Jayson Tatum and it’s a different world. He’s got a great attitude. And he’ll learn quickly.”
Williams knows he has to. It’s part of his educational process.
“Yeah, I think being able to not necessarily have those mistakes, but to learn from them is going to be really important for me,” Williams said. “I think from here on out, you can’t have mistakes like that, especially for me to be as successful as I want to be. It starts with little stuff like that. So, for me I think that’s going to be one of the biggest things.”
More McGowens forthcoming?
When McDaniels wasn’t in the starting lineup, replacing someone working through an ailment, Clifford typically summoned him first off the bench. McDaniels usually served in a sixth-man role, but with him gone that duty falls squarely on someone else’s shoulders.
JT Thor received the nod against the Celtics, but Bryce McGowens could also get a look or two there over the season’s remaining months. The rookie has been elevated in the small-forward rotation and will be a huge cog for the Hornets’ reserves moving forward, especially as long as Cody Martin’s knee pain and soreness lingers.
McGowens’ 21 minutes against Boston (40-16) ranked second among their non-starters and he posted nine points and five rebounds. He intends on taking advantage of his opportunities.
“It’s really just staying disciplined, sticking to the game plan,” McGowens said. “When shots come, just be ready. And it starts defensively, buying in and gaining that trust to be on the floor.”
No new friends ... yet
While Plumlee and McDaniels made their debuts for their new teams a day after their respective trades, the Hornets were without their newest acquisition.
Svi Mykhailiuk, the 25-year-old small forward the Hornets landed in a four-team trade, wasn’t on the bench because he hasn’t reported yet. Along with Reggie Jackson, who was a part of the deal sending Plumlee to the LA Clippers, the Hornets listed Mykhailiuk as not with the team. They expect Mykhailiuk will meet them in Charlotte prior to their matchup with Denver at Spectrum Center on Saturday night.
As for Jackson, per league sources, the expectation remains for him to be bought out, allowing the veteran point guard to hit the open market and potentially land with a playoff team.
This story was originally published February 10, 2023 at 10:11 PM.
