When the Charlotte Hornets went up by 26 points at halftime against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, Brandon Miller credited their pace as a huge factor in their impressive run. He also expressed his desire for the Hornets to keep pushing the ball, understanding it is one of their biggest weapons.
After he was asked how Charlotte was able to come out sharper than it did in its loss to the Golden State Warriors the day before, Miller replied, "I think it's our pace. I think our pace kind of bothered them. I've been preaching playing to our strengths will do us good in the long run. Just playing with that pace, that initial force, that physicality in transition is great for us."
It appears the third-year swingman wants his team to play with a faster pace as much as possible. Coach Charles Lee had talked about it before. Fans have wanted to see it from the team for a while now.
However, the Hornets have yet to really do it consistently. It could be because of injuries decimating the roster in the previous year and a half. The lack of a point guard who thrives in transition whenever LaMelo Ball is out may have also contributed to the squad being in the bottom five in the league this season in pace and fastbreak points (per NBA.com).
Playing fast is the way to go for the Buzz boys
Hopefully, what Miller has been preaching all this time will come to pass. The Hornets were able to run the Nuggets out of their own gym in the first half on Sunday. Kon Knueppel, Collin Sexton, and he combined for 11 fastbreak points during those two quarters.
Charlotte managed to score just two points of that type after the break, although the cushion it built early was enough for it to coast to a 110-87 victory.
It's worth noting, though, that the Hornets faced an opponent missing five of its top eight scorers: Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson, Christian Braun, and Jonas Valanciunas. Not all of their matches will be against injury-ravaged teams. So, they should look to utilize the best weapons at their disposal on offense, and that includes picking up the pace.
With Moussa Diabate's monster rebounding skills, Ball's acrobatic layup package and elite court vision leading the break, Miles Bridges and Miller's high-flying ability, and Knueppel's pull-up shooting prowess, the Hornets can definitely be a menace on the open court. Besides, they have yet to really be a threat in half-court situations.
As such, increasing the pace is the best way for them to keep racking up the upsets and wins against foes they are supposed to beat.