The Charlotte Hornets have started the season with 3 straight loses, facing some of the top teams in the Eastern conference.

This is not the start the Charlotte Hornets would have wanted but the truth is, they have been beaten by 2 very good teams in Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks who they’ve played back to back. Both of these two teams are nailed on to be in play-off in the East, so it is no real shame in losing to them. The reason the Hornets are without a win is that their opponents have executed their game plans better than them.

Having watching the 3 games the Hornets have played, I have seen things they can work on to get them over the line and get that first win of the season.

Turnovers and transition defence

The Hornets can improve on their turnover statistics. By no means are they turning the ball over at a ridiculous rate however the first game against the Atlanta Hawks stood out to me as they were extremely sloppy with the ball which resulted in a lot of points off turnovers for their opponent which was their main downfall. Many of their turnovers that game were unforced which was disappointing. The Hornets are averaging 13.7 turnovers per game; this is a statistic that can be improved.

Turnovers can lead to transition points and this is another area where many Hornets fans have been critical off. The Hornets just need to improve their transition defence and stop opponents getting easy points on the break. Coach Clifford said after the first game against the Hawks “getting back (in transition) is not a skill”, meaning it can be quickly rectified.

More pick and roll

I would like to see more picks set for their point guards, Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lin. Both games against the Atlanta Hawks the Hornets guards struggled to make a big impact on the game. A lot of credit must go to the Hawks defence; they are a well drilled team. To me it just seems like the Hornets are not using the pick and roll as much as they were during preseason where they had a lot of success.Their bigs needs to set picks to allow the point guards to get free and make something happen. It is difficult for guards to have any penetration without picks from their big men.

There have been a lot of passing around the perimeter but not much penetration. One positive from this is that they have been many assists from points scored which indicates that the Hornets are playing team ball which is always good to watch. Nobody wants to see isolation plays from one man dominating the ball.

Take better shots

Another part of the game the Hornets can work on is taking better shots and not settling for tough 3 pointers. The Hornets seem to be rushing their offensive plays at the start of the regular season. They need to calm down on their 3 point attempts and find that extra pass to get a better shot, passing up a good shot for a great shot.

I know Coach Clifford’s offence incorporates a lot of 3 point attempts this season but they can’t keep on shooting 3 pointers whenever they get the ball behind the arc. They have to be more patient at times and let the offence flow smoothly. The Hornets offence will soon become very one dimensional and when their shots are not falling they will be in trouble against more versatile teams around the league. Al Jefferson gives them something different and he is very good down in the post.

Jeremy Lin

Before I wrap up this article I just want to talk a bit about Jeremy Lin who has started the season in reasonable fashion. In the 3 games Lin has played he is averaging 12 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 25 minutes. Lin has not looked as comfortable as he has been during preseason. I know it was only preseason. The Hawks did not allow Lin to get into a flow; they were able to stop him from playing his own game. Nonetheless in the game against the Miami Heat he looked great and was named the Hornets player of the game with a stat line of 17 points, 2 assists and 1 rebound in 21 minutes.

Lin will no doubt bounce back from the Hawks games and he will be back to his best, he just needs to sweep the Hawks games to one side and move on.

Lin has not shot that well to begin the season, his field goal percentage is only 33.3%. We all know he will shoot at a much higher percentage than he is doing right now, hopefully he will get his shot back against the Chicago Bulls who the Hornets face next.

With all that being said the Hornets have played “OK” in my opinion, they have battled hard in the 3 games but they’ve come up short. With a little bit more luck on their side they may well have had a win or two under their belts. It’s fine margins. It’s a tough schedule for the Hornets, they just have to hang in there and the win will come sooner or later. They are a good team and we have seen they can compete with some of the best teams in their conference.