2&2 Slider To Leyritz
Well-known member
Starting a new thread for this season to kill the playoff-less mojo from last year's thread.
A few months ago, I was unimpressed with the offseason moves and figured this team was going to be a repeat of last year. However, after 3 preseason games (yes, I know they are preseason), I think there is legitimate optimism about this team. Where the team sucked last year was the bench, and they seemed to have drastically improved it via either new additions or Borrego playing the young talent already there instead of sticking it on the bench like Clifford did.
I think the starting lineup is generally set. Kemba-Lamb-Batum-Marvin-Zeller. MKG might be in tehre from time to time for either Lamb or Marvin depending on the matchup, injuries, etc. We'll see how Lamb does as a starter, and hopefully Batum is fully recovered from his injury last year and gets back to being effective. That unit is a known commodity and has proven it can compete with most opponents.
The bench is what I am most excited about. It looks like it will be Parker-Monk-MKG/Bacon-Bridges-Hernangomez, which is a completely different group than last season. Kaminsky is the odd man out, we'll see where he fits in but I could see him getting <10 minutes a game barring injury. Devonte Graham and Biyombo will also see spot minutes.
Monk looks much more under control than last season, but his shot is still streaky. That said, he can fill it up when he gets on a roll.
Bridges looks unbelievable so far. I was down on this pick when it happened, but holy shit this guy is impressive. Shooting over 50% from 3, next-level explosiveness around the basket for dunks and rebounds, strong on-ball defense and shotblocking, solid ballhandling, and built like a tank. He has clearly been the most impressive player on the team in the preseason. He can also seemingly play and defend every position from SG through small-ball 5. I'm hesitant to believe what I'm seeing, as he is easily the most impressive rookie we've had since Kemba, and maybe more than Kemba actually was at the time as I may be looking through hindsight. He is like a slightly shorter but stronger Jason Tatum. I'm just waiting for the wheels to come off in some way, because this type of rookie doesn't happen to the Hornets.
Hernangomez has also looked impressive. He has gotten much stronger around the basket, can run the floor well, has some range on his jumper, and his defense has improved. I think Zeller is quicker laterally and a better overall defender, but Hernangomez should be an effective backup without much dropoff.
Borrego's offense is much more Spurs-esque, so we'll see how it works over the course of the season with this group. The perimeter ball movement plays to the strengths of Batum and Marvin, and Lamb has shown he can operate in midrange space. Kemba should be Kemba regardless of the system.
From a personnel standpoint I think Frank is the big question mark. He has shown he can be a great stretch 5, which should be valuable in the offense. But it requires a strong PF who can make up for his lack of rebounding and post defense. It looks like Bridges could be that guy, but it might take away from his other skills. MKG could also play that role effectively I think. If he is simple on the outside looking in, then there is an opportunity to trade him for value given his contract and skill set.
In all, I think the playoffs are a strong possibility with this retooled bench. The key is to make a push for the 4-5-6 seed as opposed to 7-8.
A few months ago, I was unimpressed with the offseason moves and figured this team was going to be a repeat of last year. However, after 3 preseason games (yes, I know they are preseason), I think there is legitimate optimism about this team. Where the team sucked last year was the bench, and they seemed to have drastically improved it via either new additions or Borrego playing the young talent already there instead of sticking it on the bench like Clifford did.
I think the starting lineup is generally set. Kemba-Lamb-Batum-Marvin-Zeller. MKG might be in tehre from time to time for either Lamb or Marvin depending on the matchup, injuries, etc. We'll see how Lamb does as a starter, and hopefully Batum is fully recovered from his injury last year and gets back to being effective. That unit is a known commodity and has proven it can compete with most opponents.
The bench is what I am most excited about. It looks like it will be Parker-Monk-MKG/Bacon-Bridges-Hernangomez, which is a completely different group than last season. Kaminsky is the odd man out, we'll see where he fits in but I could see him getting <10 minutes a game barring injury. Devonte Graham and Biyombo will also see spot minutes.
Monk looks much more under control than last season, but his shot is still streaky. That said, he can fill it up when he gets on a roll.
Bridges looks unbelievable so far. I was down on this pick when it happened, but holy shit this guy is impressive. Shooting over 50% from 3, next-level explosiveness around the basket for dunks and rebounds, strong on-ball defense and shotblocking, solid ballhandling, and built like a tank. He has clearly been the most impressive player on the team in the preseason. He can also seemingly play and defend every position from SG through small-ball 5. I'm hesitant to believe what I'm seeing, as he is easily the most impressive rookie we've had since Kemba, and maybe more than Kemba actually was at the time as I may be looking through hindsight. He is like a slightly shorter but stronger Jason Tatum. I'm just waiting for the wheels to come off in some way, because this type of rookie doesn't happen to the Hornets.
Hernangomez has also looked impressive. He has gotten much stronger around the basket, can run the floor well, has some range on his jumper, and his defense has improved. I think Zeller is quicker laterally and a better overall defender, but Hernangomez should be an effective backup without much dropoff.
Borrego's offense is much more Spurs-esque, so we'll see how it works over the course of the season with this group. The perimeter ball movement plays to the strengths of Batum and Marvin, and Lamb has shown he can operate in midrange space. Kemba should be Kemba regardless of the system.
From a personnel standpoint I think Frank is the big question mark. He has shown he can be a great stretch 5, which should be valuable in the offense. But it requires a strong PF who can make up for his lack of rebounding and post defense. It looks like Bridges could be that guy, but it might take away from his other skills. MKG could also play that role effectively I think. If he is simple on the outside looking in, then there is an opportunity to trade him for value given his contract and skill set.
In all, I think the playoffs are a strong possibility with this retooled bench. The key is to make a push for the 4-5-6 seed as opposed to 7-8.
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