Charlotte Hornets Round Table Discussion: Potential Moves

4. Regardless whether the Hornets make a trade or not, should Steve Clifford make a change to the starting lineup? With the projected line-up to be Kemba, Batum, MKG, Marvin, and Zeller

Jerry Stephens: I don’t think he should immediately. Maybe later in the season but not to start the year. If Cody Zeller struggles as the team’s starting center and Roy Hibbert is flourishing with the second unit, then coach Clifford should make the switch. I think most fans have been waiting to see Kemba, Batum, MKG, and Marvin all play together since last season. They are the Hornets’ best players and they all compliment each other on the court. Inserting Hibbert for Zeller is the only change that I could see Steve Clifford making this season but that would require Roy Hibbert to return to near All-Star form and for Cody to struggle mightily which I don’t see happening.

Luke Spencer: I believe that the starting line-up is just fine at the moment. All players complement each other real well and can play fluid basketball without getting in each other’s way. Kemba and Batum are the primary facilitators and scorers for the team while MKG and Zeller are the slice-and-dice slashers who are adept at playing around the rim. Williams is sort of the jack of all trades as he is good in the post and one of the best three-point shooters on the team. All players can play under Clifford’s defensive scheme real well and I doubt we will see much change to this starting line-up.

Let’s not forget that P.J. Hairston (who is basically a below average 3 and D player) started 43 games for the Hornets last year while only playing around 20 minutes a night. The reason the Hornets won so many games last year was because of their depth, and they still are a pretty deep team even with the losses of Jeremy Lin and Courtney Lee (who only played half a season with the team). I doubt there will be much change with the starting players unless they just completely drop off and play terribly. Unfortunately, there are no superstars on this team, but the starting unit has proven that they can be competitive in the Eastern Conference.

Although it’s a small sample size, MKG showed how much he improved his shooting game in those 7 games he played this past season.  After a year of playing together I expect the Hornets to come in focused and more prepared this season.  How the Hornets do this season hinges on the continued improvement of the young core of Kemba, MKG and Zeller.

Max Seng: Revisiting my previous point, I do believe the opening night starting lineup will be Walker, Batum, Kidd-Gilchrist, Williams, Zeller. But I think as the season goes on, Kidd-Gilchrist will prove more valuable as the first guy off the bench, playing nearly 30 minutes a night in a different Jamal Crawford type role (trade points for rebounds, assists, blocks, steals, hustle). With the NBA trending towards playmaking fours (i.e. Marvin Williams), the better swingmen are playing more and more minutes at power forward to open up the floor for themselves and their teammates.

I believe Kidd-Gilchrist has the motor, body and ability to play the 4 in small but important doses. Take the model of Harrison Barnes for the Warriors playing the 4 in the “death lineup”. Barnes is strong enough to body up with most 4’s in the league, while stationing himself on the perimeter to draw another defender from the rim and hopefully gain some advantage with his speed and athleticism. Kidd-Gilchrist could exploit those same things while not giving up much on the defensive end (keep in mind he averaged 7.6 rebounds in 2014-15 in 29 minutes a night). It also minimizes the problem his lack of a jump shot gives by putting another shooter on the bench and sliding Batum up to the 3.

I’d love to see the Hornets experiment with a lineup of Walker, Lamb or Sessions or Belinelli, Batum, Kidd-Gilchrist, and Williams to truly have a 5-out offense. Or even put Hibbert in if he thrives and allow him to rule the paint, blocking everything and setting screen and rolls for easy dives to the basket. Kidd-Gilchrist at the 4 opens up even more possibilities for Charlotte without giving up too much on either end and would be very interesting.

Deshawn White: I’m a firm believer in giving Roy Hibbert the chance to start and letting Zeller run with the second unit. Hibbert is definitely a defensive minded presence, and the rest of the starters are great offensive and defensive players. If he can just focus on defense then I believe he could be a steal. Zeller on the other hand would dominate second unit centers because of his high motor and quickness. Paired with Ramon Sessions, Marco Bellinelli, Jeremy Lamb and Frank Kaminsky, the second unit could still space the floor and run a fast paced offense.

Max Teddy: Assuming the roster stays the same, the only change to the starting lineup that I could see would be Roy Hibbert competing for the starting job from Cody Zeller. If Hibbert revives his All-Star caliber play he displayed in Indiana, it would make sense for him to start. I wouldn’t mess with anything else because the starters had such good chemistry last season. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Next: Charlotte Hornets Offseason Grades

Laieke Abebe: The center position is the one being most talked about due to the signing of Roy Hibbert. Hibbert has started every game he’s played in for five consecutive seasons (his last 382 games), but this could be the time where he comes off the bench. In my opinion, the Hornets starting five should stay the same as of right now. The team’s chemistry was there last season especially with Batum and Zeller running the pick-and-roll. There could be times where Zeller and Roy rotate in and out of the lineup but for opening night, this is what it should be.