Most Startling Statistics of Charlotte Hornets' Season So Far
An uninspiring start has Charlotte Hornets fans wondering why the buzz has not lifted this team higher yet. Naturally, doubts will start to creep in. Was Lance Stephenson a bad signing? Has Kemba Walker peaked? Is it time to give the young bigs more minutes?
No team is without questions, but Charlotte's 4-7 start is not the way this organization wanted to ring in the new era. Stephenson's double-overtime game-winner was supposed to be a signal that things were all better, but Charlotte followed that November 7 victory by dropping four of five in embarrassing fashion.
Nevertheless, the Hornets' start has produced some startling statistics. This has not been the 2013-14 Bobcats, who featured a top-five scoring defense and committed the fewest turnovers in The Association.
It was understood that this roster would be different and expectations were higher than ever, but the Hornets are going to have to sharpen up to keep pace in an increasingly more talented Eastern Conference.
Here you have it, Hornets fans. Five facts are coming your way that just might make you cringe, but it is still early! There is plenty of time left to get that buzz back.
Six Players Are Shooting Less Than 40 Percent from the Floor
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It is increasingly more common to see NBA guards shoot less than 40 percent from the floor, as Kemba Walker unfortunately did last season. Players of all shapes and sizes also go through slumps exhibiting similar ineptitude.
But, six guys less than 40 percent through 11 games? That extends a bit past "blip" status. This now looks to be an issue.
Walker, Gary Neal, Lance Stephenson, Brian Roberts, P.J. Hairston and Jannero Pargo are all below the 40 percent mark and haven't shown much promise of getting too far over it in the near future. Charlotte's offense has revolved around Al Jefferson since the day he showed up, but perhaps it features him a little too much.
Jefferson is putting up his typical 21.4 points per night, but at what cost? Only Walker and Neal are in double figures alongside him, with only Stephenson projecting to likely move into that group.
Guys like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist need to be more involved. MKG has added a jumper to his repertoire and looks drastically improved on offense. Stephenson and Walker must be more than guys who simply roll the ball into Jefferson. Cody Zeller and Marvin Williams have also both been on a bit of a roll, but neither gets enough looks to make a huge impact.
Let's hope this is simply a case of these guys figuring out where they fit in. The Stephenson addition, as well as the other new Hornets, means that they will all have to adjust once again.
1-5 on the Road
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Charlotte was a .500 team on the road after the All-Star break last season, after going 11-16 prior to the layoff. The improved play away from Charlotte has not carried over to this 2014-15 campaign at all, as Charlotte is 1-5 away from its hive, with two of the losses by 15-plus points.
Winning on the road is a testament to a team's growth and maturity. Because of that, it is troubling to see the Hornets take a step back in this department. On Friday, November 14, Charlotte squeaked out a win in Phoenix over the Suns. It was arguably the team's best win of the season but was followed up by getting lambasted by 25 during a trip to visit the Golden State Warriors the following night.
The Hornets have given up at least 95 in each road game, a far cry from the lockdown defense of last season's team. Charlotte is averaging 39.3 rebounds on the road, as opposed to 45.8 at home. There is a bigger disparity in the shot-blocking department, as the team is putting up 6.4 per night in Charlotte but a league-worst 1.8 elsewhere.
This squad will need to work on not leaving its intensity at the airport. It is the Hornets' bread and butter, and they are not built to get away with not outworking the other team. Charlotte's home-court advantage is obvious, with the rebrand, the new floor and the raucous crowd, but the buzz has to make noise nationwide for this group to make another leap up the standings.
Losses to New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers
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The Hornets beat up on the cellar dwellers last season, going 7-1 against the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers, the two worst teams in the Eastern Conference.
The New York Knickerbockers currently sit at 3-8, and the Los Angeles Lakers are even worse at 1-9. The Lakers' only win was a 15-point walloping of the Hornets on November 9. Charlotte scored just 92 points, the fewest LA has surrendered all year. Only two opponents have scored less than 107 on that defense, which has been historically bad.
Granted, Charlotte has not played the easiest schedule thus far. The Hornets have already played some powerful Western Conference foes (Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors), as well as the Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Pelicans and upstart Milwaukee Bucks. There has been little room to breathe, but it would have been great to see Charlotte handle the two cupcake games it has had on the schedule to this point.
New York and Los Angeles are the two biggest markets, and if this team is going to elevate into that upper echelon, it cannot shrink on the biggest stages.
Historically, Teams Have Huge Trouble After 20-Win Improvement in Prior Season
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Check out this article by Sean Deveney of Sporting News. It mentions how last season, three NBA franchises made improvements of 20 wins (Hornets, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers).
This happened one other time in the past 20 years, in 2004-05, when Phoenix, the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards all made leaps. All three teams that made big turnarounds that year regressed during the following season, and none made any postseason advancements.
This may be purely coincidence, but it does stand to provide some perspective for this team. Charlotte went 7-59 two years ago, followed by a 21-61 campaign before last year's 43-39 record. More improvement would mean that this team is really getting up into some vaunted territory.
So far, Charlotte has not shown that it is ready to make that next leap. It is too early to say that the team may have peaked last year, but that conversation will be creeping into fans' minds in another 15-20 games of poor play.
Opponents Have Scored 100-Plus Points in 7 of 11 Games
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The Hornets have surrendered more than 100 points in seven of their first 11 games. In 2013-14, Charlotte did not give up its seventh 100-point outing until game No. 29.
Steve Clifford arrived as head coach and instantly turned the Hornets into a defensive nightmare. Al Jefferson took his game to the next level, and the whole team rallied together to become an elite defensive team.
That same mentality has not been apparent this time around.
Defensive intensity is Charlotte's bread and butter. The offense feeds off its defense, so lackluster performance on the less glamorous end of the floor will often spill over onto the other end.
Many of the issues plaguing this team might be correlated. Added intensity and confidence will put the Hornets back where they were last year on the defensive end, which will feed right into the offense and get those percentages back up.
The Hornets went 34-19 last season when holding the opposing team under the century mark, including winning 21 of their final 23. The team got hot by playing consistent defense, peaking to a point where giving up 99 or below became a virtual lock for the win column.
Charlotte is just 2-2 in these types of games this year and 2-5 in the games surrendering more than 100 points. The Hornets do not have the continuity or chemistry on offense to shoot teams out of the gym just yet, so the defense must get going.
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