The Charlotte Hornets entered their Saturday bout against the Miami Heat with much optimism. Playing in front of the home crowd for the first time this season likely gave the squad plenty of motivation to end the evening with the win.
Unfortunately, that didn't turn out to be the case, as it was the same old story for Charlotte. For the third consecutive game, it came out of the gate limping. On Saturday, though, it couldn't catch fire until the fourth quarter, but the Heat also played well in that period to take the 114-106 victory.
In addition, LaMelo Ball's incredible stat line (27 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists) was again blemished by numerous fouls and turnovers (five each) and poor shooting from the field.
Hornets are surprisingly pacing the league in offensive rebounding
Of course, it's no time for the Hornets organization and its fans to hit the panic button, especially since they have several things going for them.
Firstly, the team is only three contests into the season; there are still 79 battles to go through. It's also worth noting that it has had to deal with injuries to three starters, with Brandon Miller expected to miss a few more appearances because of a strained left glute. The good news is that despite being down several bodies, Charlotte has been competitive in each of its losses.
One piece of evidence that shows how the squad hasn't been afraid to put up a fight is that it has outrebounded every opponent this early in the campaign. In fact, the Hornets lead the league in average offensive rebounds with 17.3 per game. If it weren't for the Golden State Warriors hauling in 58.5 rebounds per contest, their 51.7 boards per match would pace all teams.
That is quite a pleasant surprise, as the Hornets ranked last in total rebounds in the previous season.
After an overhaul of their offense under new coach Charles Lee, they are expected to experience challenges in that department, particularly in the early going of the 2024-25 campaign. True enough, the Hornets have hit just 42.2 percent of their field-goal attempts. So, crashing the glass has allowed them to average 23.3 second-chance points.
Leading the way for Charlotte on the boards is Nick Richards, whose infectious energy has made up for his miscues so far. But what's probably impressive is that even the guards have helped in that area, with Ball so far rebounding at a career-high rate. Imagine how more formidable they would be once Mark Williams returns.
It remains to be seen if the Hornets can sustain their mastery of the boards throughout the season. But if they manage to do so, they can definitely make it tough for opponents on most nights.