The Charlotte Hornets are coming off their first preseason victory of the year and even better news, there’s a cohesiveness that’s continuing to build within the roster. Two days ago, Coach Borrego pinpointed team chemistry as the area he’s been most pleased with through two weeks of training camp.
“I think it’s just their connectivity,” stated Borrego. “The X’s and O’s, that stuff’s going to have to come over time. We’re a new group, a young group. We lost a lot last year and now, I love their spirit together. They just like being around each other, playing for one another. That’s the biggest thing.”
Monday’s 21-point win in Memphis was an encouraging sign of progress as the Hornets outscored the Grizzlies, 30-14, in the fourth quarter, while shooting 47.9% from the field and 42.5% from three on the night. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come for the young core.
“We just have to keep building chemistry,” Devonte’ Graham said after Tuesday’s practice. “The more we keep playing together, keep practicing and keep watching film, the more we will start to connect. We’re learning about each other. I think the summer definitely helped – putting in all that work together. Some of us knew we’d have bigger roles this year.”
Rookie PJ Washington followed with, “Everybody likes each other. Everybody’s excited for each other and I feel like that’s what you need for a team to be good. Everybody’s buying into the process and everybody’s working hard every day.”
“Buying in is the number one thing and to get that, your group has to trust you,” Borrego added. “I think this group trusts what we’re doing, what I’m doing, what our system is doing. They bought in and we’re going to stick with it no matter what happens. Last night, whether win or lose, we were coming in today, going to work and keep doing our system.
Borrego has repeatedly stated that this past summer marked “the healthiest gym” he had seen with regards to player commitment since entering the NBA back in 2003. That bond looks to have carried over into the preseason and hopefully, far beyond.
And yes, connectivity doesn’t officially count for anything in the win-loss column, but it’s a stepping stone in the right direction for this team. The more players that buy into Borrego’s four pillars of competing, development, identity and winning habits, the better positioned everyone will be for the future.