The Charlotte Hornets have shown a lot of positives to start the season, but the fans are still hoping for more.
Sitting with a 6-5 record, the Charlotte Hornets have had some solid play during the first 11 games of the season. However, there is a lot of room for improvement, and the fans want to see this team reach their potential.
In order to reach that potential, a lot of things need to go right. This team definitely has the making of a playoff team, especially if they can clean up some mistakes and make improvements in certain areas.
We still have so much of the regular season remaining, so the team will have plenty of time to make adjustments and improve as the season plays out. The season is a marathon, folks.
Without further ado, here are five things that Charlotte Hornets fans want to see out of the team as the season goes on.
5. Improvement in the clutch
The Charlotte Hornets have played in five games decided by four points or less so far this season, only winning one of those games. Closing out games has been one of the biggest weaknesses for this team.
It hurts to lose close games like that. When you look back at the end of the season, those games could play major roles in where the team finishes in the standings. Every single game is very important.
For example, the Denver Nuggets missed the playoffs by one game last season. During the regular season, they suffered horrible losses to teams they should have beaten, like the Phoenix Suns and Atlanta Hawks.
They have an All-Star in Kemba Walker, who has showcased his clutch ability in the past. However, Charlotte needs someone else to step up in crunch time, because teams are going to be focusing and expanding so much energy on guarding Walker.
Who can be that guy? One player comes to mind. Tony Parker, the 18-year pro and former NBA champion, is a guy who has been through a lot of close wins and losses throughout his career. I would absolutely have him on the floor late in the fourth quarter to take some pressure off of Walker.
The Hornets also need to lock in defensively late in games. They’ll learn as the season goes on, but they need to figure it out quickly, because you can’t let too many games slip away from you in this league.
If someone not named Kemba can step up late in the game, that will be a major plus to the Charlotte Hornets as they look to improve late in games.