Three Completely Rational Overreactions From the Charlotte Hornets’ Season Opener
The Charlotte Hornets opened up the 2016-17 regular season with an impressively dominate victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
With the craziness that is the NBA after one game, every fan is overreacting to the Golden State Warriors losing their opener or the Cleveland Cavaliers winning theirs. But with the Charlotte Hornets, they had one of the most quirky impressive performances to start their season. Here are some rational overreactions from that game.
The Hornets were on the road to begin their 82 game regular season but that didn’t hinder them one bit. They took it to the Bucks and at one point were up by as much as 24 points in the third quarter. Charlotte eventually won the game 107-96 after Milwaukee made a late push.
The impressive victory has fans excited for the season ahead and rightfully so. After the great season the Hornets had last year, this is one of the best team’s that Charlotte has had in some time. We might be overreacting but all of these takes are completely rational.
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1. MKG is Going to Have a Career Season Averaging 15 and 10
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was Charlotte’s best player on opening night. Coming from a season where he only played in seven games due to multiple serious injuries, MKG’s importance and production was on full display in the season opener. He led the Hornets with a team-high 23 points and a team-high 14 rebounds.
That double-double speaks volumes on Kidd-Gilchrist’s hustle and relentlessness on the floor. He arguably has one of the best motors in the NBA. Michael just never quits. Although he missed both of his three-point attempts, the small forward did shoot 10-18 (55.6%) from the field and 3-3 from the free throw line.
With this type of performance against one of the longest teams in the league, it is completely rational to think that MKG will average 15 points and 10 rebounds a game. He isn’t the biggest guy on the court but he somehow finds the ball, hustles for boards and loose balls, and Kidd-Gilchrist should get plenty of playing time this year. Expect a career season from Michael.
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2. Roy Hibbert is back in All-Star Form and is the Missing Piece to Put Charlotte Over the Top
When the Hornets first signed Roy Hibbert this summer, everyone though they were getting a big man who was past his prime but could maybe help off the bench. The season opener now has everyone excited for the 7’2 center and are buying into him being back to his all-star level.
Roy played in almost 32 minutes and was easily the most surprising player on the court. His size was giving the Bucks problems on both ends of the court all game. He was grabbing boards, running the floor, blocking shots, and getting plenty of big time dunks. Hibbert put up a great stat line with 15 points, nine rebounds, and five blocks in his first regular season game with the Hornets.
It may be an overreaction to say that he can put Charlotte over the top but in the smallest of sample sizes, Roy and the Hornets look like a perfect match. He provides exactly what the team was missing last season with a presence inside. His ability to defend the interior, grab boards, and be a physically dominate big man may secure the Charlotte Hornets a top-4 seed in the Eastern Conference.
3. Cody Zeller is Superhuman.
Preseason is not the best judge of how a team will do in the regular season but it does give players a chance to get ready for the new year. Cody Zeller wasn’t afforded that luxury this summer. He missed the better part of the offseason with a lingering knee injury that kept him out of training camp, practices, and every exhibition game this year.
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Every player plays in preseason to get ready. LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry all get into form by playing in exhibition games. But Cody is a beat and he doesn’t care about needing preseason games. Despite not having almost any contact practice or game action this summer, Zeller scored 15 points in 14 minutes in his first appearance of the season. I think that qualifies as pretty close to superhuman.