“Hey! Shoot the open shot!”

Steve Clifford yelled this at the five Hornets on the floor after all five players touched the ball on the same possession, and three open threes were passed up. These are the problems the Charlotte Hornets are facing this season, as Clifford’s plea came early in the 4th quarter with the Hornets holding an 82-54 lead over the visiting Miami Heat. What a crazy turnaround from a year ago, as open shots didn’t seem to exist last year and when they did, they were rarely something to get excited about.

Hours before the Hornet’s 21st game of the season, news broke that Al Jefferson would be missing an additional five games on top of the time he is missing due to his injured calf. While we don’t need to discuss the laughable suspension if it is for marijuana as most speculate (3 failed tests earns 5 games? Why not just not test at all?), it is important to note how impressive the rest of the frontline is playing in his absence. Marvin Williams will deservedly get much of the praise for tonight as he was 7-11 from the field including 4 threes. The other bigs deserve some credit as well, and we will get to that.

Miami entered the game a 1/2 game ahead of the Hornets in the Southeast division, having already cruised to a win over the Hornets on Opening Night, but the Hornets were the hot team entering last night winning 7 of their last 9, compared to the Heat dropping 3 of their last 6. Of note, this was only the sixth road game of the year for Miami, and their away record is now 2-4 after the Hornets controlled this game throughout. Three of Miami’s next four are on the road, and their performance in these games will be something to monitor.

Cody Zeller

Cody Zeller deservedly received a great deal of praise following the Hornets win over Andre Drummond and the Detroit Pistons. As the guy who is bearing the biggest burden during Jefferson’s absence, Zeller has accepted the challenge and seemingly returns every night asking for more responsibility. Tonight, he drew a Charlotte area native with something to prove. Hassan Whiteside leads the NBA with over 4 blocks a game, and seemed intent on upping that figure with three in the first quarter of play. The opening shot from Zeller went like this:

After this assertion of force, a switch seemingly flipped, and Zeller had one mission: Make Hassan Whiteside uncomfortable all over the court. Bear with me on these clips, but each display impressive strength and consistency from Zeller (giving up about 30 pounds in this matchup) as he is really growing into his own in this starting role. Not only did Whiteside not record a single block after the first 6:17 of playing time, Zeller made sure he was the aggressor in the post and beat Whiteside in transition all night.

I really think the below play is what shifted the energy for Cody Zeller, fueling the rest of the Hornets. As soon as he sees the Goran Dragic shot go up, Zeller has one priority. Put a body on Whiteside. He easily could be called for a foul, but he bumps Whiteside away from the basket, allowing PJ Hairston to grab an easy rebound:

That play may seem insignificant, and Zeller gets no credit in the stat sheet, but it set the tone for how he would go after Whiteside the rest of the half. Watch this clip before Whiteside even gets the ball, as Zeller keeps him from establishing position closer to the basket, and then the bump once Whiteside does get the ball.

After the miss forced by Zeller, Whiteside actually beats Zeller back down the court (a rarity last night), but when he doesn’t find Zeller on the ensuing Hornets shot, Zeller grabs the offensive board and dishes to Marvin Williams for the open shot.

Where Zeller has thrived all year is beating his opponent down the court in transition, and he made Whiteside pay repeatedly in this area. This is my favorite example, as it lets Batum show off his passing:

When Zeller gets ahead of his man, it leaves the opposing team two choices in transition. Don’t leave your man to cover Cody and allow Kemba, Batum, or another skilled passer to find him slashing to the hoop…or leave your man to shade towards Zeller, potentially leaving one of the many shooters on this roster open for a transition 3. The Hornets have shown they will make you pay for either decision, and Zeller in transition is a thing of beauty to watch. Zeller may have only had 9 points and 2 boards, but he was as instrumental in the win as any of his teammates. Since the Golden State game, Zeller has been in the spotlight, and this is how he stands so far…Friday will bring the next test.

Andre Drummond, best rebounder in the league? Check.

Hassan Whiteside, best shot blocker in the league? Check.

The combo of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph? I cannot wait to see.

Tyler Johnson, D-League to the Association

While Jeremy Lin is arguably the D-League’s most famous alumnus, his path is becoming more and more popular. The Hornets have taken note of this, announcing their own affiliation in Greensboro starting next year. They are playing catch up to the Heat, who have been busy scouting the D-League for talent. In addition to Hassan Whiteside, Tyler Johnson spent time in the D-League before carving out a role in South Beach.

I had heard the name before, but really first noticed Tyler Johnson’s play when I was watching a bit of last week’s game against the Thunder. I turned it on late in the third quarter and saw a blur running down the court as Kevin Durant brought the ball up the floor. Johnson easily swiped the ball from Durant from behind and then got past Dion Waiters on the other end while drawing a second defender. His combination of speed and skill was refreshing and I made a note to watch him against Charlotte. He did not disappoint Wednesday night.

He brought a noticeable energy to the court when he was out there, especially when he was playing off of the ball. Johnson showed an ability to shoot from the outside (45% on the year despite an off game from three last night), get to the basket with the ball, move through a defense without the ball, and defend. He is fascinating to watch throughout a game, and I am glad I did.

On this play, he is in the right corner being guarded by Kemba Walker. As soon as Gerald Green shoots from the other side of the court, he attacks the offensive glass seeing that both Walker and Frank Kaminsky are not actively looking to box out. Johnson is able to scoop the rebound and reset the possession. Due to the rotations after the rebound, Walker is on Luol Deng and Kaminsky ends up on Johnson at the top of the key. Deng immediately returns the ball to Johnson, who does not hesitate when he sees the first year center on him. With just enough of a shot fake to get Kaminsky off balance, he blows by him with his off-hand and draws Cody Zeller off of Hassan Whiteside. Johnson delivers a perfect pass to a now open Whiteside, who should have just taken the short jumper. This is a shot that Al Jefferson has perfected, but Whiteside does not yet have. Instead of going right up, Hassan tries to put it on the ground and turns it over, thus robbing Johnson of any credit on the play.

Later in the first half, Johnson drew Nicolas Batum, Jeremy Lin, and Jeremy Lamb on subsequent defensive possessions. Batum and Lin both tried to get to the basket on the smaller Johnson, but he did not yield any ground. He is so quick that he can easily stay in front of the ball handler but also strong and balanced enough to defend all three of these sizes of players out on the perimeter.

He later showed off his help side defense and athleticism when he left Walker in the opposite corner and met Lin going up for a layup. Tyler Johnson hung in the air as Lin readjusted and still managed to block the layup. Hassan Whiteside should have been impressed.

I look forward to seeing how Tyler Johnson plays the rest of the year. He plays a fun brand of basketball and brings an intensity that this Heat team needs. He may only be 23 and not a veteran in this league, but his energy displayed throughout last night’s game, even when the score was lopsided is something that can help a young rookie like Justise Winslow.

Hornets Adjust to Hassan Whiteside

As noted earlier, Whiteside is the leading shot blocker in the NBA, and it is not even close, as he averages 4.4 blocks per game, and second place is Anthony Davis with 2.7 per game. He started off the game in much the same manner, rejecting three shots in the first seven minutes. Below is the third block. He sees Kemba beat his man and goes to help. This is one of the easier blocks Whiteside will have, as he comes from the help side.

The Hornets at this point have realized they need to change their strategy when Whiteside is near the ball. Below is the very next inbounds pass and you will see Batum draw that help defense from Whiteside before kicking it to a Whiteside-free Zeller, who makes the catch-and-shoot jumper:

When you have shooting bigs like the Hornets do, you can put them in these situations to force a dominant defender into a decision similar to the “Zeller in transition” example above: either stay in the paint and leave your man open for a shot or stay with your man near the perimeter and risk leaving the lane open. This was a big key to the success against Andre Drummond and Hassan Whiteside. IF they can replicate this against Memphis, they might be able to neutralize what should be Memphis’ strongest assets.

Header Photo: Chuck Burton – AP