The Hornets are growing up, learning a little friction is a good thing in the NBA
Charlotte Hornets coach James Borrego says this team has a spirit this season that didn’t exist Borrego’s first two in Charlotte.
The players describe that as less thin-skinned and more problem-solving.
It’s interesting Borrego used that word — “spirit” — in describing what has changed. His predecessor, Steve Clifford, said spirit was what waned for the Hornets right before he was fired in April of 2018.
The 10-11 Hornets were on a three-game winning streak entering Wednesday’s home game against the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia 76ers. Following Monday’s road victory over the Miami Heat, Borrego used that word “spirit,” regarding what has improved.
Borrego elaborated following Tuesday’s practice.
“This is probably the best-spirited young group I’ve been a part of,” said Borrego, an NBA assistant coach for 15 years with San Antonio, New Orleans and Orlando before coming to Charlotte. “High-character guys wanting to get better. They’re about the team.
“That’s tough in today’s (NBA); it’s such a me-driven mentality in our league. This group really cares about each other.”
Uncomfortable truths
Part of what has changed is players speaking up on uncomfortable topics with less concern about offending. Forward Miles Bridges might have set that tone in the preseason when he bluntly expressed exasperation with the Hornets’ four seasons without a playoff appearance.
“The Hornets, we haven’t been a good organization for a long time,” Bridges said at the outset of training camp. “Let’s be honest about it — everybody here, we’re tired of that.”
Bridges doesn’t avoid friction if he thinks he can improve a situation. For instance, during a fourth-quarter timeout in Orlando, he pushed for the Hornets to stop playing so much zone defense and finish the game guarding man-to-man. That set off an argument with an assistant coach that Borrego later praised as firing up the whole team in a comeback win.
Bridges sees a difference in team interactions.
“In huddles before, the last few years, there was a lot of finger-pointing,” Bridges said. “But this year we’re more trying to figure out how to win the game than who to blame.
“We going to figure out ways to win, and we’re going to treat each other with respect.”
Hurt feelings
Center Cody Zeller has the longest continuous tenure on this team; eight seasons stretching back to being the fourth overall draft pick in 2013.
Zeller said he understands why, when the Hornets went to a youth movement last season, there was an excessive concern with diplomacy.
“There’s a lot of pressure coming into the NBA for a young guy. (whether you are) a high draft pick or trying to make the roster,” Zeller said. “Players put a lot of pressure on themselves.”
Interactions needed to change, Zeller said, for the Hornets to contend for a playoff spot.
“The sign of a good team, with maturity, is that you can talk straight with each other,” Zeller said. “We’ve had more of that this year. Not so concerned about hurt feelings.”
What to do about the 76ers?
The 76ers have been a nightmare for the Hornets lately. Charlotte is on a 13-game head-to-head losing streak with Philadelphia, stretching back to the fall of 2016.
This is the second-longest such streak in the NBA — the Los Angeles Clippers have beaten the Magic 14 in a row.
Cumulative statistics from those 13 matchups say the Hornets haven’t been so bad offensively (averaging 107 points per game), but have been obliterated defensively.
In those 13 games vs. the Hornets, the Sixers have averaged 49% shooting from the field, 38% from 3-point range and 116 points per game. They have also out-rebounded the Hornets on average 50 to 41.
That is largely a tumble-down effect from Sixers center Joel Embiid, who was named Eastern Conference player of the month Tuesday. Embiid is averaging 28.3 points and 11.1 rebounds this season. But his most striking stat might be averaging 11.3 free-throw attempts.
It will primarily be Zeller’s responsibility to guard Embiid without constantly fouling.
“He’s a handful. There’s his size and he uses his body so well,” Zeller said. “He creates so much contact, so the toughest thing is staying out of foul trouble.
“You try to keep him from getting deep post position (before catching the ball) and you try to keep your hands out (of the way to avoid) contact when he has the ball. And once you’re in the bonus, you can’t touch him as much” because every foul is two free throws.”
This story was originally published February 3, 2021 at 1:42 PM with the headline "The Hornets are growing up, learning a little friction is a good thing in the NBA."
