The Charlotte Hornets put forth one of the best summer league performances we’ve seen from them in a long while. The win over the Spurs showed that summer league doesn’t have to be a complete disorganized mess that’s virtually indiscernible from a bunch of randoms playing pickup basketball together. Head coach Charles Lee is coaching the summer league team, and that gave us a slight peek at what kind of team he is going to coach.
First things first–the Hornets beat the brakes off the Spurs. They jumped all over their first summer league opponent, racing out to a 23-9 lead by the end of the first quarter. The Hornets went a little bit cold over the middle stretch of the game, which allowed the Spurs to claw back into the game and cut the deficit into single figures at points in the third quarter. But a fourth quarter flurry restored the lead and then some, and the Hornets cruised to a 1-0 record.
The Hornets’ defensive tenacity and connectedness really stood out. The Spurs struggled to find any open looks, and there was always someone waiting for them at the rim if they tried to attack the paint. The Hornets defended with desperation, diving for loose balls and aggressively digging in on anyone that put the ball on the floor in the middle of the court. Even with the intense effort, the rotations were crisp and everyone seemed to know where they were supposed to be on the floor. That’s an impressive feat for a team that’s only been practicing together for a few days. That’s more than the actual Hornets could say at any point during the NBA season last year.
On offense, Lee has mentioned he wants to play five out basketball, and that was apparent in the win over the Spurs. Both centers that played made a couple of threes. The team as a whole was quick to fire up spot jumpers if they had a decent look. 44 of the Hornets’ 84 shot attempts were threes, which is a stark contrast from the NBA Hornets that were middle of the pack in 3-point attempt rate last season.
Other observations on the individuals:
- Mouhamadou Gueye was far and away the MVP of the game. He scored a game high 21 points, blocked three shots, and hit a pair of threes. He accentuated the strong floor game with some impressive highlight dunks. He’ll be signed to a two way before long if he keeps this up.
- Zavier Simpson provided something the Hornets have been sorely lacking in recent summer leagues–competent point guard play. He dished out eight assists and did a good job of keeping the Hornets offense moving.
- Matt Morgan was quiet in the first half but erupted in the fourth quarter. He’s got a good looking shot and some nice burst to attack openings. He and Simpson are both guys to watch moving forward.
- Nick Smith Jr. and Bryce McGowens both struggled badly. NSJ played with a lot of confidence, but that confidence led him to a 4-of-17 shooting night. McGowens made 2-of-10 shots. 6-of-27 from the field is what you’d call “not good enough” from the returning NBA players, especially McGowens, who’s entering his third year.
The Hornets will take the floor again on Sunday against the Chinese National Team, who just got absolutely smoked by the Kings. There might not be much we can take away from what happens in that game.
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