James Borrego: Charlotte Hornets’ defense must start on the ball, not at the rim

First-season Charlotte Hornets coach James Borrego has been happy for the most part with how the players have absorbed what he wants offensively, both in pace and shot selection.

The defense still needs a lot of work, as evidenced by how thoroughly the Miami Heat destroyed the Hornets at the rim in the first half Tuesday. The Heat scored 63 first-half points, 30 of those in the lane, and outscored the Hornets in points resulting from offensive rebounds 15-0.

The defense improved in the second half, particularly in the third quarter when Miami was limited to 19 points and 6-of-18 shooting. With three practice days before Monday’s next preseason exhibition against the Chicago Bulls, Borrego is diving deep into this team’s defensive execution.

He’s emphasizing the defense this season can only be as good as players’ commitment to stay in front of ballhandlers and communicate in switches. Particularly with Dwight Howard gone, there is no one force at the back of the defense to protect the rim.

“Our transition defense is a work in progress. We’ve got to get back, stop the ball, take care of the paint and a lot of that starts in transition,” Borrego said. “We need bodies in front of bodies to protect the paint. It’s not one (big) guy to protect the paint. “

Borrego has expectations of more switches defensively than the Hornets have done previously. That puts a premium on communication and trust between players that isn’t instantaneous.

“In the half-court, our switching coverages and our big-man coverages have to be better. We want to be preventative before the ball gets to the paint,” Borrego said, adding the second half Tuesday was a recovery: “That’s the type of energy and effort we need in our switches.”

Time off

Borrergo’s mentor, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, was ahead of much of the NBA in striking a balance between practice and rest in managing an 82-game regular season.

Borrego gave the Hornets Thursday off, and said he’ll be careful managing players who log heavy minutes, such as point guard Kemba Walker, and players coming off injury, such as center Cody Zeller.

“We’ve got to be very smart with how we practice, when we practice, who practices and how long they practice,” Borrego said.. “There will be some days when Kemba Walker is not going to practice. There are some days when Cody Zeller is not going to practice.

“To be a good team, you’ve got to be healthy and fresh. If you’re worn down, tired, you’re doing more damage than good by leaving them out there on the court.”

Monk watch

Hornets guard Malik Monk missed three practices and the Hornets’ first exhibition after suffering a pelvic contusion during training camp in Chapel Hill. Jeremy Lamb has started the first three exhibitions at shooting guard.

“He’s pushed through it,” Borrego said of Monk’s injury and missed time. “That setback can hold him back; he’s now got to make another step.”

Borrego said Monk finding teammates for seven assists — six in the second half — was noteworthy: “To lead our team in assists is big for Malik Monk.”

MKG on the mend

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (concussion protocol) is yet to be cleared to practice, but he told the Observer Thursday he’s feeling better and anticipates being good to go soon.

This story was originally published October 4, 2018 at 7:06 PM with the headline "James Borrego: Charlotte Hornets’ defense must start on the ball, not at the rim."