The New Orleans Pelicans and Charlotte Hornets face off Wednesday in what should be a fun matchup. The Pelicans and Hornets face at a time with both teams signaling towards opposite directions. The Pels are winners of five of their last six games, as they continue to fight off rebuild speculation. The Hornets have won three of their last four. Overall, however, they’ve had another underachieving season; while currently facing rapid Kemba Walker trade chatter. We connected with Swarm and Sting editor Jerry Stephens for deeper analysis on the Hornets. Enjoy the latest installment of Outsider’s Perspective.
1. What’s been the biggest reason for the Hornets’ disappointing season? A lot of the parts appear to be there. Is it strictly a mixture of coaching, injuries, or another aspect gone sour?
The biggest reasons for Charlotte’s struggles have been a couple of things. Injuries and having the toughest first-half schedule in the league. A number of players including Nicolas Batum, Michael Carter-Williams, Malik Monk and Cody Zeller all missed some time this season. Couple that with having the toughest strength of schedule during the first half of the season and it leads to a disappointing start to the campaign. Like you said, the parts are there and there is still hope that this squad can turn things around in the second half of the year.
2. The end of Kemba Walker in Charlotte could signal quite the rebuild for the Hornets. Speak to what exactly has gone wrong not just in the Kemba era but since MJ has been aboard. Does it start and end with some disappointing draft picks?
It starts with poor drafting but certainly doesn’t end there. There have also been poor free agent signings like Lance Stephenson and a couple bad trades like the one for Miles Plumlee last season. The no question that the drafting has not been good but the Hornets haven’t done well in other aspects to help compensate for that. If I had to pick one thing that has been the downfall of the Michael Jordan era in Charlotte, it would be the drafting. The front office has missed time and time again with their selections. Hopefully, Malik Monk is the one to change that trend.
3. Dwight Howard seems to have had a really good start to his season (outside of his weird 54 pct field goal %). How hard is it to appreciate Howard’s year while the team is struggling. Or has his season been slightly overrated?
Dwight’s been great for Charlotte. While he still struggles at the free throw line and is a liability late in games because of that, he has arguably been the team’s second-best player this season. My only knock on him has been his turnovers which is at a team-high 3.0 per game. Aside from that, he’s been a monster on the boards, a defensive anchor and a bully down low. He has given the Hornets some muscle on the inside which is something they’ve lacked.
4. What’s the biggest misconception about the Hornets?
I think the biggest misconception, at least for this season, is the undervaluation of Charlotte’s players. While the team hasn’t been great, individual players have. Kemba is averaging close to all-star like numbers, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is shooting the ball from the mid-range at a career-high mark, Marvin Williams is first in the NBA in three-point percentage, Dwight Howard is a double-double machine and Jeremy Lamb is averaging a career-high off of the bench. Even if the Hornets aren’t good, some of their players are having really good seasons that are being overlooked because of the team’s poor record.
5. Outsider Perspective on the Pelicans.
My view of the Pelicans is that they look like they are starting to figure things out. It was always going to take time for Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins to gel but they’ve both been outstanding. When you have two of the top-five big men in the league, you’re always going to be a dangerous team. If New Orleans could find a way to add more outside shooting, they would be set. Much like the Hornets, I think they lack that extra offensive threat from the perimeter. Still, if Davis and Cousins continue to combine for nearly 60 points a night, they will at least be a tough out in the playoffs.
Next: Pelicans Victory Over Chicago Is More Than Just Another Win
That’s a wrap for our time with Jerry and Swarm and Sting. Make sure to follow Jerry @JR_StephNBA and the Hornets @SwarmnSting . You can follow us as always @PelicanDebrief. Thanks for reading and enjoy the game.