Charlotte Hornets: Five intriguing lineup combinations

Fourth Lineup: LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, Gordon Hayward, Kai Jones, Mason Plumlee

Nickname Idea: Functional Fun

Mix it up! This lineup is 60% the same as the first lineup on this list, but the two alterations, Hayward and Plumlee, swapped in for Oubre Jr. and Bouknight, completely changing the dynamic.

Kai Jones and Plumlee sharing the court on occasion is very intriguing. Plumlee’s passing ability and underrated handling should allow Jones to be forgotten by opposing bigs, thus getting him some easy buckets. Jones’ potential outside shooting ability gives the Charlotte center rotation a different wrinkle from years past. If Jones proves early on that his college shooting numbers weren’t flukey, 38% from three in his second year at Texas, he could draw defenders out from the key, and clear the lane for the Hornets ball-handling playmakers.

With Plumlee on the floor, Jones should be able to fill the lanes as a rim-running and dunking big man, which is a great role for him in his rookie season.

Playing Ball, Bridges, and Hayward at the same time gives Borrego some serious room for experiments with the other two spots on the floor. Replacing Bouknight and Oubre Jr. from the “Just Throw It Up There” lineup with Hayward and Plumlee here certainly removes some flashiness from the lineup. But that move should improve the team defense, and take some pressure off Jones to match up with other teams’ 5s, something he will likely struggle with during his first season.

This lineup may be the best of all worlds in terms of functionality mixed with fun and experimentation. A couple of high fliers and a couple not so high flyers (Sorry Gordon, sorry Mason) gives this lineup a pretty attractive balance on both ends.