New Orleans Hornets: Bench Evolving as Portland, Dallas Approach

Tuesday’s 101-82 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers (1-7) was hardly the biggest accomplishment to New Orleans’s perfect start.

But it illustrated the ongoing evolution of the Hornets’ (7-0) bench, which is looking better every game.

It was a tale of two halves for the Bees’ second stringers, and a revealing tale at that.  The Clippers’ bench, led by small forward Al-Faroug Aminu, outscored the Hornets’ reserves 25-13 in the first half and 30-17 through three quarters, forcing them to maintain rather than attack when on the floor.

Then Jerryd Bayless and Willie Green took over in the fourth quarter, loudly announcing their potential to fans. 

Prior to Tuesday, each had done fine in their roles off the bench; Bayless using his quickness and vision in the open floor to create easy looks, and Green bringing the heat on defense.

So when they both found their shots in the fourth quarter, it seemed like a big coming-out party. The noise was deafening, as Bayless and Green finished the game with 15 and 19 points, respectively. 

They combined for 26 of the Hornets’ 30 bench points in the quarter, compared to 13 from Los Angeles’s reserves. And nobody enjoyed the celebration more than Chris Paul, who watched the whole quarter from the bench.

Rookie Quincy Pondexter saw more time on Tuesday after making his debut with Milwaukee, finishing with seven points in 17 minutes. Pondexter joined Bayless in the backcourt at shooting guard, playing a fairly stationary wingman role, but showing flashes of athleticism, too. 

At 6'6" and 225 pounds, Pondexter entered the league as a small forward, but seems to fit well into the Hornets’ scheme as a role-playing perimeter shooter. 

The three-guard second unit is not only increasingly prevalent, but becoming more effective as players solidify their systemic vocations. The setup bridges the gap of athleticism inevitably created from having starters like Chris Paul and Trevor Ariza constantly running the floor. 

So the main question involves whether it will be Pondexter or Marcus Thornton filling the secondary two spot, since Green looks very comfortable as a cutting three.

Thornton’s minutes have steadily declined since the team’s opening 99-90 victory over Milwaukee, where the second-year guard registered 17 points and seven rebounds in 30 minutes. He’s an athletic player with outside shooting and hacking talents who seemed to be finding his groove as the season started.

So a rational explanation for his diminished time may involve his defensive output.

This means that Pondexter’s move toward increased playing time undoubtedly starts on the defensive front, too. The rookie from Washington did fine against Baron Davis and Aminu (who led all scorers with 20) last night.

But he is still a ways away from becoming a consistent piece of the rotation.

Simply put, the Hornets’ bench is dynamic and playing with surprising maturity for such a young group. Like most teams, there’s still a defensive drop-off between starters and reserves.

But unlike some teams, the Hornets have a head coach zealously committed to the art of defense.

But this was just the Clippers, and the only reason Pondexter and Pops Mensah-Bonsu were able to contribute is foul trouble. 

But who knows? Maybe Monty Williams is looking at Tuesday’s probing of the bench the way Andy Reid looks at his quarterback situation—a pretty good coaching problem to have. 

But against better, upcoming opponents like Portland (6-3) or Dallas (4-2), having to dig that deeply into the pine might not be such a luxury. If the Hornets are going to continue this run, they’ll have to clean up the fouls. 

Starters and bench alike.