One year ago the Brooklyn Nets found themselves sitting at 6-14 (compared to the current 5-15 Charlotte Hornets record). What would eventually slide into a 10-21 start, soon became a memorable January turnaround that led to reaching the 2nd round of the playoffs as a 6th seed in a historically lackluster conference. With teams in the East still far inferior to the loaded West, could the Hornets pull off a similar feat? Obviously they are in slightly different situations, but there are definitely some possible lessons Charlotte can take away from the Net’s experience. First, let’s briefly summarize Brooklyn’s season and then break down how Charlotte can apply that to their own problems.
The biggest question heading into last year for Brooklyn was how would first year head coach Jason Kidd manage the chemistry on his roster. “Iso-Joe”, “The Truth”, “The Big Ticket”, Brook Lopez and Deron Williams all had been significant offensive threats at some point in their careers, and the idea of playing them together made for a difficult, yet intriguing puzzle of balancing talent and ego.
Regardless, after a bad start and significant injuries to Lopez and Williams, the Nets were forced into a balanced attack using their bench mob and an increased perimeter oriented approach that allowed for better ball movement and spacing on offense, along with a legit defense that excelled through length and versatility. Guys like Andray Blatche, Shaun Livingston, Mirza Teletovic, Mason Plumlee and Alan Anderson all made significant contributions, and the team found a way to play through adversity and develop a “Next Man Up” chemistry as the season chugged along.
How does this translate to Charlotte’s misfortunes?
Though the Hornets find themselves with less talent than Brooklyn (which is possibly arguable when considering age and potential), they DO have similar problems to start the season: bad defense and a chemistry issue on offense that has been present in some form or another for the entire year, especially when closing out games in the 4th quarter. But it’s not as easy as just having your franchise center suffer a season ending injury that leads to playing different lineups. They missed the consistent low post threat in Brook Lopez, and they could have used his rebounding and size during their postseason run.
The first solution will be the returns of both Jeff Taylor and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, because both can guard multiple positions, are quick on their feet, bring good strength and size, and are both aggressive and slithery ball hawks. Also consider giving Cody Zeller more minutes at the PF position, because although he does have short arms for a 7 footer, he provides an upgrade over the smaller Marvin Williams. Basically, Al Jefferson’s 300lb bag-of-cement style sorely needs better defenders around him in order to mask a lack of speed and bounce. Two serious concerns (as pointed out by James Plowright and David Walker at QC Hoops) are giving up a high FG% in the paint, as well as not playing efficiently against the fast break. MKG is one the best in the NBA at running down the fast break, and he usually is good at positioning his body in a way that results in a contested shot, smart foul, or block from behind. He is also good at keeping his man out of the paint, as is Zeller (when compared to Williams), which will limit the amount of rim protection that is expected from Big Al.
The defense also needs to develop a consistent intensity, which in my opinion will improve as Lance Stephenson gets more comfortable with his surroundings and the system, as well as more time on the court beside MKG. Those two seem capable of feeding off each other and driving the rest of the team’s motivation and drive factor, which will be key in building a winning culture. Add guys off the bench like Taylor, Gerald Henderson, and Bismack Biyombo, and there is no reason to think that under Clifford and Patrick Ewing we cannot return to a top 10 level of play, similar to the Nets and Bobcats of last season.
On offense, the early season chemistry issues of learning to integrate “Born Ready” seem to be getting better, but we still suffer from forcing the ball to Kemba Walker and Big Al, especially late in games (not a knock on either player but instead on the predictable play call and insistence to not look at other options). This creates a heart breaking reality where we have played good basketball for most of the season, but late in games the opposing teams know where the ball is going, and bad shooting and shot selection are killing our chances.
This should be fixed by simply adjusting the game plan to allow for other guys to step up in the 4th quarter, which will result in better ball movement. A healthy Gary Neal adds a nice bonus, as he is a 6th man of the year candidate and arguably our 2nd best scorer outside of Al Jefferson, and MKG’s improved jump shot was actually very clutch to begin the year, so his return should be more than just the obvious defensive bandaid. These two along with Brian Roberts, Lance Stephenson, Gerald Henderson, Cody Zeller, and Marvin Williams need to be bigger options when the game is on the line, so Coach Clifford must be willing to take a page out of Jason Kidd’s playbook and show offensive trust in the rest of his roster.
Bottom line, the season is not over just yet. Based on our recovery from the injury bug, an expected improvement in shooting, an easier schedule in December, and the chemistry that our players and coaching staff will find on both sides of the ball, Charlotte is still in the fight for a playoff position. So keep believing in Steve Clifford and the Charlotte Hornets, and keep an eye on the Milwaukee Bucks and the aging/injury prone Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat. Just don’t make up your mind on this team until at least 2015 rolls around, and try to remember that the Charlotte ended their season last year on a 20-9 run.
*Thanks to Paul Mitchell. He writes at Brooklyn’s Finest and was nice enough to help break down the Nets’ 2013-14 season and provide an outline for this article. Follow that guy.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
