Kemba Walker and the walking wounded visit the North.
The Hornets, who currently sit at 13-24, have been a disappointment by all stretches of the imagination.
In 2013-14, the Bobcats pieced together an elite defense (5th ranked) around a workable offense centered by Al Jefferson and a cast of willing team players. That formula, headed by rookie head coach Steve Clifford, amounted to a playoff berth after finishing the regular season 43-39.
In the offseason, the Hornets (nee Bobcats) looked to take a step forward by rolling the dice in free agency. They bet strongly on team structure by shipping out a key glue guy in Josh McRoberts and gambling on an undervalued asset in Lance Stephenson. In Lance, the Hornets found themselves a multi-talented wing who could create in the backcourt, bridging the gap between Kemba Walker at the point, and Jefferson in the post.
It hasn’t quite worked. Stephenson inexplicably lost his jumpshot, while becoming more of a malcontent, and is currently out indefinitely with a injured pelvis. Dropping McRoberts has also left a void at power forward, as his supposed replacement in Marvin Williams has struggled as a smallball four. The end result has been the same terrible offense (28th-ranked) while taking a step back on defense (16th).
But there’s still hope for the Hornets. They’ve been snakebitten by injuries (Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Al Jefferson, Stephenson) and there’s more than half a season left to play. Young prospects like Cody Zeller have looked strong and there’s simply too much talent on the roster to piece together anything less than a low-playoff seed.
Positional match-ups
Point guard
Kyle Lowry, Greivis Vasquez vs. Kemba Walker, Brian Roberts
Walker is quick and long, but he really can’t shoot consistently and ranks no better than average for his position. Lowry is playing like the top point guard in the East this season, and that’s saying nothing of the huge edge Vasquez has on Roberts.
Advantage: Raptors
Wings
Terrence Ross, Landry Fields, James Johnson, Lou Williams vs. Gary Neal, Gerald Henderson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
The Hornets’ wings are similar to the Raptors’ current assortment. It’s a bunch of one-dimensional players. Kidd-Gilchrist is an excellent defender, Neal is a microwave type scorer and Henderson is a smart spot up guy.
Advantage: Even
Bigs
Jonas Valanciunas, Patrick Patterson, Amir Johnson vs. Cody Zeller, Bismack Biyombo, Marvin Williams
Zeller has looked solid this season. He has good size, is mobile and can reliably hit a midrange jumper. Biyombo can’t do anything offensively and is only good for a block or two. Marvin Williams can shoot threes but isn’t big enough to contend for rebounds. Jonas should have his way.
Advantage: Raptors
Prediction: Raptors 97, Hornets 88
