As the dawn of a new campaign for the Charlotte Hornets starts, I have just one question for all of the Hornets faithful — aren’t you glad they got that one out of the way?
Make no mistake, the preseason opener between the Nets and the Hornets was a messy, wet sloppy slog (mainly in the 2nd half). The slogginess (if that’s a word) only exacerbated by the fact that Kon Knueppel, Coby White, Grant Williams, Christian Anderson and Brandon Miller weren’t playing. Plus, it’s preseason basketball where you might see 50% effort by most vets during these games as everyone’s trying not to get hurt.
That said, the fact that the Charlotte Hornets are dealing with this many injuries within two weeks of camps opening is another kick in the nuts to a fanbase that might be tired of getting hit below the belt. Whether or not this is the basketball gods toying with the Hornets on these injuries, this fanbase can only take so much after management removed the offensive engine that made a 44-win team go.
Which is why it was imperative that the Hornets at least show some sort of concept of a plan tonight. Unfortunately that was not the case. What fans will likely remember (if they were still watching) is a second half that quickly went off the rails and reminded fans of the all-too-real growing pains that this team is going to have to face.
Hopefully, Sunday’s game vs. Milwaukee might be a better glimpse into what the plan might be.
Despite the slog that was the 2nd half, the 1st half showed promise: Grayson Allen spraying 3’s, Naz Reid punishing switches, Royce O’Neal having a great floor game. Point Sion (sort of) working. The Hornets, when there was proper adult supervision, were a watchable bunch that if you squint, you might begin to see the vision with this team.
Liam McNeely, rotation player: The 1st half was a mixed bag for me, for one, Liam had a hard time not fouling. Where I struggle with Liam’s performance is that you can CLEARLY see an NBA rotation player in there at minimum, but there are some things he clearly needs to clean up (largely his handle). His 14 points in the 3rd quarter is truly the only reason to watch this game again. Were they largely open threes and simple drives? Yes. But need I remind you that we’re not all that far removed from DaQuan Jeffries donning a Hornets jersey and playing crucial minutes for this squad down the stretch. There’s a part of me that hopes Charles Lee and the coaching staff locks Liam in a room and has him watch nothing but Sam Hauser film. Because a properly developed Liam McNeely isn’t just an NBA rotation guy, but he could also be a guy on the podium after swinging a crucial playoff game (and series) with his shooting.
Ryan Kalkbrenner, the invisible 7-footer: It’s rare when you can say that a 7-footer had a relatively non-descript game. But that’s kinda what Ryan Kalkbrenner did on Tuesday night. Outside of one challenge at the rim, what was even semi-memorable about his performance. What makes this worrisome is that Kalkbrenner came into the league slightly older and to this point through summer league and one preseason game, hasn’t shown that he’s added much to his game so far.
If this team is to take another step, they’re going to need Kalkbrenner not only to change more shots at the rim in this upcoming campaign, but also add some scoring punch of the non-dunk variety as well. If we’re talking about the Hornet that probably concerned me the most in that Nets game, it’s Kalk. Which leads me to …The clock is ticking on Tidjane: Long time readers of Dispatches know I’m a Day 1 Tidjane guy, but it’s year 3 and there’s negligible growth between Rookie Tidjane and Year 3 Tidjane (so far). The annoying part is that if you take a look at the 1st half performance, when all he does is defend, shoot the open jumper and not try to do to much, he’s fine. The problem is that when left to his own devices (like in the 2nd half), the kid tries to experiment, try to dribble into the paint and end up firing up a fadeway layup that at 6’10 he’s just too damn big to be doing at this stage of his career.
If I’m honest, there’s a part of me that’s accepted that if Tidjane turns into an NBA player that it won’t be in Charlotte. But at the same time, those that want to tell me that the italicized if in my statement is doing yeoman’s work, you’re right.