Rookie Frank Kaminsky: ‘I ... played timid’ in Hornets’ playoff opener
Charlotte Hornets rookie Frank Kaminsky says he knows what everyone saw in Game 1.
He played like an NBA rookie in his first playoff game – a 31-point loss to the Miami Heat.
“I, personally, played timid the other night,” Kaminsky said Monday at shootaround at the University of Miami.
In more than 17 minutes on the floor, Kaminsky took no shots, missed his two free-throw attempts, got one rebound, collected three fouls and looked overwhelmed at times on defense.
“I was playing to not make mistakes,” Kaminsky said. “I did that at times at Wisconsin and it didn’t go well for me. I think that’s a big part of the reason why it didn’t go well (Sunday) night.”
Kaminsky said he’s still adjusting to playing power forward on defense in the NBA after having a much easier time in college as a center.
“Everyone can put to ball on the floor, so you have to be vigilant about so many different things and really got to pay attention to personnel, scouting report and those kinds of things so that you can be successful,” Kaminsky said. “I’ve done well with it at times and haven’t done too well with it at times but I’m still learning.
“There’s still a lot I still need to learn, especially in this series, if I’m going to help our team.”
Whiteside 3rd in DPoY voting
With free agency looming, Heat center and former Gastonia resident Hassan Whiteside got a good resume boost Monday night.
Whiteside finished third in voting for the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award. San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard won for the second straight year, and Golden State’s Draymond Green finished second.
The NBA’s leader in blocked shots by a margin of 92, Whiteside earned two of the 130 first-place votes. Whiteside, whose 269 blocks this season were the most in the NBA in eight years, took little to no pleasure in third, though.
“Nothing to talk about,” Whiteside told Miami reporters after Monday’s practice. “I came out there and I put up stats y’all ain’t seen in a decade. Ain’t nothing to talk about.
“Man, I expected to get overlooked. My whole life I’ve been overlooked. I’m used to it.”
Whiteside owned the defensive paint on Sunday. Cody Zeller and Al Jefferson struggled to create offense against Whiteside, who has a 7-foot-7 wingspan.
“He’s a game changer, especially on the defensive end,” Zeller said Monday. “A lot of his buckets were just roll baskets that he just laid in or dunked. We didn’t make it very tough on him.”
Hornets’ promo plans for fans
The Hornets will give out black t-shirts and headbands to fans going to Game 3 on Saturday at Time Warner Cable Arena.
The team announced Monday that fans will get “Enter the Swarm” t-shirts before the game. The shirts will be purple or teal for Game 4, set for Monday, and white for Game 6, if necessary, on April 29.
Pregame music and entertainment Saturday will be provided at the Trade Street Plaza.
Single-game tickets for the home games remain and can be purchased at hornets.com.
This story was originally published April 18, 2016 at 6:42 PM with the headline "Rookie Frank Kaminsky: ‘I ... played timid’ in Hornets’ playoff opener."