Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets poor late-game offense, Jeremy Lamb is evolving
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After picking up his fifth foul in the third quarter against the Miami Heat, Dwight Howard told the ref, “You guys don’t do this to LeBron.” (Twitter/ Barry Jackson) In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at why the Charlotte Hornets‘ offense struggles late in games, the evolution of Jeremy Lamb and Dwayne Bacon being benched.
What’s wrong with Charlotte’s crunch-time offense? (HoopsHabit.com)
"The most glaring clutch issue for Charlotte has been their shooting. Per NBA.com, the Hornets are shooting just 32.4 percent from the field in the clutch this season, with a ghastly 13.3 percent rate from behind the arc."
The Hornets just haven’t been able to win close games. Since last season, they are 0-12 in games decided by less than three points. Their late-game offensive struggles are highlighted by Jeremy Lamb’s 2-12 shooting in the clutch and Marvin Williams‘ 0-10 shooting in those same situations.
Although Kemba Walker is only shooting 38.2% in the clutch, he is by far Charlotte’s best option in crunch-time. If the all-star point guard can’t get good looks or isn’t able to knock down tough shots, it’s going to be tough for the team to put points on the board. It’s come to the point where they can’t hold any sort of lead in the fourth quarter and eventually fall apart down the stretch.
Jeremy Lamb, evolving (ESPN.com)
"One positive story from a desultory, injury-riddled season that could bring major change if Charlotte finishes in the lottery: Lamb has emerged as a solid all-around wing after slinking in and out Steve Clifford’s doghouse over the past two seasons."
The biggest change in Jeremy’s game has been his willingness to commit himself on the defensive end as well as play unselfishly by crashing the glass and becoming an unselfish playmaker. Lamb is averaging career-highs across the board in points, assists and rebounds while also shooting 37% from deep which is also a career mark. The jump in his game can be attributed to more minutes, an extended role and improvements made over the summer.
Jeremy’s $7 million salary makes him a steal in today’s NBA. The 25-year old looks to be taking the next step forward in his progression. There’s an argument to be made that outside of Kemba Walker, Lamb has been the Hornets’ second-best player so far this season. The question going forward is if he will be the sixth man for Charlotte or is a team willing to spend big and give him a starting role once he hits the open market after next season? A third option would be the Hornets trade either Nicolas Batum or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist which would allow them to re-sign Jeremy and insert him into the starting lineup.
A third option would be the Hornets trade either Nicolas Batum or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist which would allow them to re-sign Jeremy and insert him into the starting lineup.
Has Steve Clifford benched Dwayne Bacon? (FantasyPros.com)
"After a few very solid outings earlier in the year, Dwayne Bacon appears to have literally been placed at the end of the bench to collect dust. This can be evidenced in the way that he only saw six minutes of playing time versus the Raptors and only worked his way to a lone rebound in his efforts."
Next: It's time for Charlotte to unleash Malik Monk
First Malik Monk was benched and now it looks like his fellow rookie, Dwayne Bacon, has been sidelined. For the first time this season, the second-round pick did not see a single minute of game time in the team’s meeting against the Heat. With the Florida State product falling out of the rotation, it will be interesting to see what happens to him going forward. He will either sit on the bench until an opportunity arises or the team could choose to send him down to the G-League to get some playing time with the Greensboro Swarm.