Good thing we drafted Duren to help handle their toughness.
1 Like
Did a little stat dive. The biggest reason for this turnaround has been our guys simply being healthy. But outside of that, I think the biggest reason is our defense and rebounding. With an emphasis on the rebounding. Less second chance possessions for the opposing team=less points scored. More offensive rebounds for the hornets=more points for our offense.
2023/24 season: hornets ranked LAST in the NBA in rebounds per game.
2024/25: 8th
2025/26: 5th
When did Moussa Diabate join the team? Summer 2024 prior to the start of the 2024/25 season. Thatās not a coincidence.
Edit: yeah, a big reason for winning is our offense and three point efficiency. But with our roster, thatās not shocking. Our roster and system is set up for that. Which is why I say defense and rebounding.
Our defense and rebounding has helped so much. Having Moussa gives us that toughness and hustle we havenāt had in forever.
I give it up for Moose, but thereās so much to be said for chemistry. That makes everything better. It makes the next play easier because youāre not second guessing or pointer fingers in the last one.
2 Likes
Oh hereās another fun stat: I know myself and some others have been harping on the lack of corner threes for the past few years. The corner three is a crucial shot to have.
Last season: 37% from corner threes (25th in league)
This season: 42.7% (4th in league)
Chef, I hear ya. The perfect blend. Love the era that roughly coincided with the Bobcats and initial Hornet return. 2017 is the point things changed for me.
The 2017-18 season was the first year that over 1/3 of NBA shot attempts were from three. Steve Clifford thought he could win with MKG and Batum at the wing, along with Dwight Howard at center. That line up was a few years behind the times at that point.
I would go see the Bobcats all the time because even the losing games were entertaining. Gerald Wallace was always worth the price of admission. He would have a different role in todayās era. I donāt think heād be an All-Star focal point the way he was in 2010.
Iām glad the Hornets are leaning into the current NBA style and doing it better than almost anybody. Iām excited. Iām trying to stay relevant and pick up on the nuances of the modern game. That said, when your team is LOSING in this style of play, itās kinda trash. Itās a lot of repetitive missed threes. Or repetitive threes raining down on top of you. So, for me at least, NBA fandom is more an all or nothing thing where some years you just canāt watch anymore and gotta check out.
One last thing: People get nostalgic about 90s basketball but to me that was 2 decades in one. I loved the early 90s style way more than the late 90s. Give me Run TMC over Knicks/Heat thug ball.
2 Likes
Fantastic post. I also enjoyed teams having different styles based on rosters. Basketball was primarily the same but each team had different ways of doing it. Contrasting styles was fun.
1 Like
Like I said in the chat, moose just lost it. He better learn from this. Hopefully, this isnāt a little glimpse into his personality as a whole. If it is, you canāt give this guy a big contract.
Edit: by lost it, I am not talking about the initial dust-up or even the first swing. I am talking about the inability to regain his composure or actions even when being held in the seats by multiple non-team security officials to the point they had to escort him almost physically restrained to the nearest tunnel entrance.
And Stuart Gray was watchingā¦
1 Like
This is a great post. I think thatās smart to differentiate 90s basketball because youāre right, lots of changes between early 90s and the very early 2000s. In 10 years between 1992-2002, the NBA was very different. The basketball that I really enjoyed was the trailblazers/lakers battles. That was a blast to watch. Players like penny hardaway, and then late 90s emergence of Tracy mcgrady.
And I loved watching the early 2000s Mavs teams with Nash, Finley, Dirk.
And to be clear, when I say that I enjoy more physical basketball, I donāt mean the era when players beat the hell out of each other. I thought the mid to late 90s and early 2000s was the sweet spot. The new brand of athleticism merged with play that was still allowed to be physical.
1 Like
Also, shoutout to coach lee for standing up for his players and the team. Thatās the emotion Iāve been wanting to see. It seems like that had been building up for Coach Lee for quite a while.
We need that occasionally.
4 Likes
There we go, no Moussa and Miles for 4 games. Ryan Kalkbrenner and Grant Williams, your time to shine fellas. Iād reckon weāll definitely see Xavier Tillman and Salaun.
Melo, Kon, Miller: opportunity for the big three to take control.
I think they will be ok.
tonight is big. probably biggest of the 4 games affected.
vs atlanta, vs houston, at cleveland, at Washington
miles and Moussa back full 2/24 at Chicago
would love to get tonight above all else.
Little surprised LaMelo didnāt get a game. I thought it was automatic for leaving the bench.
Tonight is huge. All Star break now at the perfect time so we can get a plan together for those next three games and get Coby in the lineup to help .
1 Like
League used good observational discretion when excluding Lamelo. He was nothing but a peacemaker.
3 Likes
First off, I want to say that i completely agree with you in terms of being glad that the NBA used their better judgment about Melo.
And, i sort of agree with the nba about players leaving the bench during a fight/altercation. Even if itās in a peacekeeping role and trying to hold back teammates: when players leave the bench, it means that other players will see this and be more likely to leave the bench. Which adds more potential for adding emotion an fuel to the fire. If you suffocate a fire, itāll lack fuel and burn itself out. Add more potential fuel to the mix: potential for more fire.
It all stems from the malice.
Itās a good rule. It is funny that these players are so used to shirts vs blouses rules that if they are allowed to play they canāt handle it and end up fighting