It’s certainly been a season of ups and downs for the Hornets and their fans. As I reflect on the season to date, the following New Year’s Resolutions come to mind.
Hornets Team
- Continue Establishing an Identity – Early on this team struggled to re-establish its identity as a defensive juggernaut mainly due to all the new pieces trying to fit in. Coach Clifford admitted such in several interviews. The Hornets have to be a stout defensive team that brings energy every night to be successful. As the team continues to gel, that identity is coming back.
- Continue Development – Cody Zeller’s improvement over last season is night and day. He has developed into a physical stretch four with the ability to knock down the open shot and is building the confidence to drive to the hoop. P.J. Hairston won’t hesitate to shoot the ball from Gastonia and likely make it. There’s a reason I call him 3J. We all knew P.J. could shoot coming in, but most impressive as of late are his aggressive drives to the hoop. Honestly Cody and P.J. both deserve to be in the Rising Stars Challenge this year. MKG continues to impress with his tenacious defense, aggressive rebounding and improved jump shot. The coaching staff has done a phenomenal job developing the talent on this team, but I think we are just scratching the surface for a lot of these younger players. Expanding the skill sets of our younger players is key to the team’s success – both this season and in the future.
- Make the Playoffs – The first few months of the season have been a struggle but the team is on the upswing. To date, we have played one of the tougher schedules in the league and the playoffs are within reach. The past is the past and this team needs to focus on a playoff run going forward.
- Make Our Free Throws – They’re called free for a reason. We have missed way too many free throws that could have potentially led to more wins. We need to make this a focus moving forward and target moving into the top half of the league in free-throw shooting percentage.
Hornets Fans
- Be Patient with Noah – Noah Vonleh is a raw talent with phenomenal upside. We knew that when we drafted him. The rookie transition is not an easy one, especially when you have to miss Training Camp and the start of the season due to injury. Coach Clifford said before the season that Noah likely won’t see a lot of playing time this year but that is all part of the plan. We all just need to sit back and let Coach Clifford work his magic.
- Vote Our Guys to the All-Star Game – Big shot Kemba Walker has been developed into a top tier point guard this season and has been unbelievable lately. Big Al and Kemba are both deserving of All-star roster spots and it’s up to us to vote them in.
- Get Loud Throughout the Game – Down the stretch, the team feeds off the crowd’s energy. Let’s provide that energy throughout the game and make the Hive the toughest place to play in the NBA.
At the end of the day we are one Hornets team and must make this playoff push together. Go Hornets!