Charlotte Hornets Power Rankings: Evaluating Full Roster After First 6 Weeks
The Charlotte Hornets' beehive has been mistaken for a pinata thus far. What happened to the new regime and the buzz surrounding the franchise? It is hard to keep positive during a nine-game losing skid.
Only the Motor City's Detroit Pistons and Tank City's Philadelphia 76ers have the dubious distinctions of sporting worse records than Charlotte's 4-14. Very little has gone right, and almost nobody on the roster is playing up to his capabilities.
After six weeks, we have enough of a sample size to make some sizable conclusions and pinpoint exactly what is going wrong. There are certainly questions aplenty.
What happened to the 50-win season? Why isn't the backcourt making mincemeat of every foe in its path? Was letting Josh McRoberts go a mistake?
We can play the "what if" game all we want, but the fact is that this team is really bad right now. Here are the power rankings and breakdowns of each roster spot and who has been most effective amidst this putrid start.
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15. Jeff Taylor: Taylor is in the midst of serving a lengthy 24-game suspension for domestic assault charges. He has yet to appear in a game.
14. Jason Maxiell: The new Hornet has been a non-factor thus far, posting his smallest number of minutes since his rookie year. Maxiell's toughness and interior presence could actually be an asset to this team, but the veteran must prove he deserves more minutes.
13. Noah Vonleh: The 19-year-old No. 9 pick in this past draft has played just three games thus far after recovering from a sports hernia, scoring eight points. For a team that is struggling so badly, it may behoove the Hornets to infuse an extra dose of Vonleh into this rotation. He may be raw, but for 15-20 minutes per night, he may produce some quality minutes. Keep an eye on this one.
12. Jannero Pargo: Once again an afterthought, Pargo has gone all-out to attempt to carve out a bigger role on this roster. The 35-year-old has launched 17 threes in just 54 minutes of playing time across five games. The addition of Brian Roberts has all but cemented his status as the third-string point guard, but he has still done a decent job at the end of the bench. To his credit, he does have just two turnovers.
11. P.J. Hairston: The threes have been falling for the young shooting guard, but his overall production has been subpar in his 16 minutes per night. Hairston has averaged 6.3 points and hit 37 percent from deep but just 35 percent overall. This franchise is not yet ready to hand over the keys and move on from Gerald Henderson, as Hairston still has a lot to learn on both ends of the floor.
10. Bismack Biyombo
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Charlotte's surprising early defensive woes have resulted in more minutes for young big man Bismack Biyombo of late, and he has more than held his own.
The 22-year-old rim protector has posted 1.5 blocks per night in just 14 minutes of playing time. His per-36 numbers are absolutely staggering, as he has posted career highs across the board at 11.2 points, 15 rebounds and 4.0 blocks.
He became somewhat of an afterthought last season, but Charlotte can in no way afford to leave his production sitting on the bench if he continues to produce like this. Marvin Williams and Cody Zeller are not paying dividends at all. So far, this team has undoubtedly been better with Biyombo on the floor.
Charlotte cannot ignore the facts. Steve Clifford has to give Biyombo more minutes.
9. Brian Roberts
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Roberts has been exactly as advertised through 18 games. He shoots from the outside, moves the ball on offense and doesn't turn it over. His 7.1 points and 2.3 assists per game at this point fall very much in line with his career numbers.
With Kemba Walker's stagnant production, Clifford might want to consider giving Roberts more minutes. Lance Stephenson has been off as well, so Roberts' veteran presence could do wonders for both young guards. He has established a good rapport with Cody Zeller and Biyombo and has had a positive impact on their development. For that reason alone, this was a positive free-agent signing.
Roberts won't set the world on fire, but he is not the problem in Charlotte right now. He, like Biyombo, has mostly done his job.
8. Marvin Williams
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As a veteran who has bounced around the league a bit, Marvin Williams has become more of a one-trick pony in his age-28 campaign. His scoring and rebounding are at career lows, but his percentage from three-point range is at a fantastic 38.8.
Hmm...sound like someone else? Anthony Tolliver, perhaps?
Williams wasn't going to replace Josh McRoberts, but with a slight role alteration, he could take the place of Tolliver, who had a career year shooting the rock last season and was a pivotal part of Charlotte's success. Cody Zeller and Bismack Biyombo are more effective options alongside Al Jefferson due to their ability to play bigger.
To back up that claim, take a look at the effectiveness of these two-man combinations alongside Williams. You'll notice that Charlotte's production skyrockets in the brief periods when Williams is slotted at small forward alongside Zeller or Biyombo.
With such little depth at the 3, and also to properly utilize Williams' outside shot, Clifford should start going with bigger lineups to add to defensive efficiency. He will never live up to his No. 2 overall draft billing, but his similarities to 2013-14 Tolliver are blatant. Clifford needs to plug him right into that role.
7. Gerald Henderson
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Gerald Henderson was a prime trade candidate prior to this season, but nothing manifested as Charlotte determined it was not ready to move on. The added improvement of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and the additions of Hairston and Williams were all peachy, but Henderson still represents a needed veteran scoring presence off the bench.
MKG going down with an injury quickly pushed Hendo back into the starting lineup, where the Hornets are 1-9 with him in that role. His production is similar to what it has always been, but this is a stronger lineup when he can simply come off the bench and score.
Hairston and Gary Neal are prolific outside shooters, but Henderson is still important to this team, just not as a starter. The team's lack of success proves just how crucial MKG's presence is.
6. Cody Zeller
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The second-year big man hit his stride around last year's All-Star break and hasn't slowed down since. Now, Charlotte needs him to hit another gear.
Zeller is posting solid numbers, averaging 8.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 47 percent shooting, but his consistency has continued to plague him, as it does with many young players. Zeller has settled into his role on offense as a guy who can stroke mid-range jumpers and leak out on the break, but there are too many nights where he doesn't show up.
For instance, he recently posted 15 points and a career-high 14 rebounds for his second career double-double against the Golden State Warriors, only to follow it up with an 0-of-6 dud.
He has done a decent job, but losing nine games in a row expedites every process on the team. Charlotte is going to need him to start cooking a little bit more and continue to grow alongside Al Jefferson.
5. Gary Neal
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Neal was brought to this team to do one thing, and that is to shoot the rock. He has done that from the moment he set foot in Charlotte after a midseason trade from the Milwaukee Bucks last year.
The vet is hitting 43 percent from deep this year and is scoring a career-high 12.3 points per game. His defense, like many others on the roster, has been inadequate, but his job is to hit threes.
Neal's contributions are those of a guy who would look much better on a winning team. He originally came from the San Antonio Spurs, and it is odd to see him on a roster that is doing this poorly. His veteran leadership has to kick in, and these young guys could use someone laying into them to light a fire. Nobody on this roster is more equipped to do that than Neal.
4. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
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You can bet your bottom dollar that it's no coincidence Charlotte's nine-game losing skid has coincidentally come immediately after Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's injury.
This is a vastly inferior team without the lanky small forward. Early on, he started to show some offensive punch, averaging 9.8 points and 5.5 rebounds on 62.5 percent from the floor in his six games. He has hit jumpers without hesitation and moved well without the ball.
During the long skid, here are some of the notable performances from opposing players who had the luxury of not getting locked up by MKG:
- Wesley Matthews: 28 points and six threes.
- J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford: combined 38 points and nine threes.
- Luol Deng: 26 points and eight rebounds.
- Tobias Harris: 17 points and 16 rebounds.
- Chandler Parsons: 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
- Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes: combined 38 points and seven threes on 14-of-24 shooting.
Get it?
This team is getting roasted by wing players without the young dynamo in the lineup. His defensive prowess is irreplaceable, and he cannot return from his foot injury soon enough.
3. Lance Stephenson
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This one hurts.
Playing alongside Paul George, David West and Roy Hibbert may have had more of a positive impact on Lance Stephenson than we all once thought. He appeared to be a borderline star in this league, but he is still just 24 and has regressed early on in his Hornets tenure. He clearly still has some work to do to become that star player, and coach Clifford agrees.
Stephenson is hitting the glass hard and distributing well, posting career highs through 18 games of 7.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. However, Charlotte acquired him with the hopes that he could be its coveted third scorer, so the 9.6 points on 36.7 percent shooting is disheartening.
We should not forget how hard the Hornets pushed to bring in Gordon Hayward this offseason, who is posting a career year with the Utah Jazz. Stephenson has been a bust and is not playing with the poise this squad needs. He has already logged six games with six points or less, just one fewer than he had all of last season.
His ability to break down defenders and move the ball was supposed to push the team over the top, but his lack of scoring has instead held Charlotte back. The 4-14 start cannot be placed on one person, but Stephenson's disastrous start has been the main culprit. He has to turn it around immediately to help this team save its season.
2. Kemba Walker
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The chain reaction of Stephenson's poor start has resulted in Kemba Walker also vastly underperforming. Aside from his decreased turnovers and increased rebounding, Walker has been nearly as disappointing as his backcourt mate.
Walker made strides last year as a late-game assassin and a burgeoning star. Now, he is shooting 36 percent and scoring just 14 per night—horrible numbers for a guy who is being relied upon as the unquestioned second scorer. He has not shown the same killer instinct that he exhibited last season, and the Stephenson addition has not taken any pressure off him.
During the nine-game losing streak, Walker has shot 40 percent or less in each game. He has averaged 19.5 points in the team's four wins and 12.4 in the 14 losses. This team goes as its point guard goes, and since Walker cannot throw the ball into the ocean right now, Charlotte is going down the drain rather quickly.
Walker has the worst field-goal percentage of all qualifying players in the league. The icing on that cake is that Stephenson is third worst. The bright side is that this has to be rock bottom. Stephenson shot 49 percent last year, and Walker is a proven scorer. Brighter days must be ahead for these two, since they are driving the ship.
1. Al Jefferson
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Big Al Jefferson continues to roll, posting 20 points and 7.5 rebounds through 18 games. The spots where he needs improvement go beyond the eye test.
Jefferson has been labeled throughout his career as a black hole on offense. He is a ball stopper who features a legendary array of post moves that are completely unstoppable when he is on his game, which will net him big point totals but often impede the flow of the offense.
This has been the case at times, as Walker and Stephenson haven't been able to gain any sort of traction on offense so far. Instead, they use Jefferson as a safety net a little too often. Jefferson's passing and defense haven't been what they were last season, which also contributes to the downturn.
Pinning issues like these on Jefferson is nitpicking a bit, but it still stands to be mentioned. With how disastrous Walker and Stephenson have been, this half-court offense often has no choice but to roll the ball into Jefferson to let him work his magic. He is the Hornets' only source of consistent offense right now, which is how Jefferson's Minnesota Timberwolves were so horrid during his tenure.
Josh McRoberts' absence has impacted Jefferson as well and will continue to do so until Stephenson steps it up. Big Al benefited greatly from McRoberts' unlikely decision making and passing ability, two areas where Stephenson has the potential to dominate. Jefferson is still one of this league's elite post scorers, but he will have a greater impact if his teammates can ease the heavy lifting onto their shoulders instead of constantly watching Big Al work.
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