LAST 4 GAMES

- @ Dallas Mavericks: W, 118-99

- vs. Memphis Grizzlies: L, 93-208

- @ Philadelphia 76ers: L, 112-127

- @ Philadelphia 76ers: L, 101-118

We’re in the third week of the Hornets season and you could say that this was another less than ideal week for Charlotte. The Hornets have started the season 2-5 and I think I can speak for the majority of Hornets fans and say that this really wasn’t expected. With a tough slate over the next couple of weeks, it would surprise me if the Hornets get out of January with a winning record. The only win that Charlotte had last week was against Dallas and it appeared that they had shaken some of the rust off, but it doesn’t appear to be the case.

Although I expected the worst-case scenario against the 76ers in their two meetings this week, I didn’t expect to see them lose to the Grizzlies as badly as they did. Without Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson, I thought it was a sure win for Charlotte, but they looked horrible. More often than not, the Hornets haven’t been on the same page and I hope it gets better, but I’m not so sure that it will. They have showed flashes of potential, but it doesn’t seem like it will be a good year for Charlotte. When it comes down to it, the players have to play, but some of the blame has to be put on someone else at this point.

Devonte’ Graham has gotten off to a really slow start and it certainly hasn’t helped matters for the Hornets. In the Hornets 7 games, he is only averaging 9.9 PPG with a 27.1% FG percentage. Hopefully he can get things going in the next week. Along with Graham’s struggles, post presence continues to be a big concern for the Hornets as they are 24th in allowing rebounds and FG percentage against. You can’t really tell it by looking on paper, but this upcoming week may be the toughest defensive matchups of the year for Charlotte.

Week 2 MVP: LaMelo Ball

I wasn’t really expecting him to be this good this early on, but LaMelo Ball has really impressed me. I didn’t expect him to be a defensive asset to be honest, but he has been one of the best defenders on the Hornets. Last week, he averaged 15.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 6.3 APG, and 2.3 SPG. While he still needs to become more efficient in his shots, he is only 19 and still needs a little time to adjust to the NBA. He has played off of the bench in all 7 games this season, but if Devonte’ Graham continues to struggle, Ball may become a starter sooner than we thought.

NEXT 4 GAMES

- @ Atlanta Hawks (4-3): Wednesday, January 6th at 7:30pm

- @ New Orleans Pelicans (4-3): Friday, January 8th at 7:30pm

- vs. Atlanta Hawks (4-3): Saturday, January 9th at 7pm

- vs. New York Knicks (4-3): Monday, January 11th at 7pm

The Hornets are kicking off Week 3 tonight against the Atlanta Hawks on the road and they will also play them again on Saturday night in Charlotte. I mentioned earlier that this may be the toughest week for opponents defenses all season and the Hawks are 9th in FG% against. This tells me that they make the easy shots difficult for opposing offenses and the Hornets will somehow have to figure out how to get to the basket efficiently. Along with that, the Hawks are the 4th best scoring offense in the league. The Hawks look poised to be a playoff contending team this season and are led by star PG, Trae Young. Young has become one of the best guards in the league over the last 3 years and he will be a handful for the Hornets guards twice this week. Also, the Hawks have some underrated big men. John Collins and Clint Capela will be hard to contain tonight and Saturday night. Over the last few years, the Hawks have been a chance for the Hornets to pick up a win, but it will not be an easy task this season.

The Pelicans will be the matchup for the Hornets on Friday night and it is one of the rare national television appearances for them on ESPN. Since Anthony Davis left New Orleans, they have been in a similar situation as the Hawks, but they’re a really solid team this year. New Orleans is led by former Duke superstars Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. Ingram is averaging 25 PPG, along with 6.4 RPG and 5.7 APG. Williamson is at 20.3 PPG and 8.4 RPG. Friday night will also mark the first meeting between the Ball Brothers. It will be an interesting matchup, but the Hornets will have a tough time against the 4th best defense in the NBA.

The last game in this week’s slate is against the Knicks. The Knicks have surprisingly gotten off to a solid start this season. Despite them have the second worst scoring offense, they have a winning record and are the 6th best defensive team in the NBA. Julius Randle is leading New York in the majority of statistical categories and has come close to a triple-double in nearly every game. The Knicks have had a lot of injuries in the last couple of weeks, but by the time next Monday rolls around, their injured players may be active. Among those key injured players are Obi Toppin and Alec Burks. In 3 games, Burks is averaging 20.7 PPG, which happens to be his career high. I am anticipating a low scoring game on Monday, but this could be a chance for the Hornets to get on a roll.

Yacs

Charlotte Hornets Report: Week 3 of 2020-21