The Charlotte Hornets are in need of a head coach to help guide their young core to lasting success. The most recent name that has been added to the list of candidates is Mike D'Antoni.
D'Antoni has led a couple of talented squads to great regular-season records. Think back to the Phoenix Suns teams with Steve Nash running the vaunted “Seven Seconds Or Less” offense, or James Harden's running and gunning Houston Rockets squads. He helped both guards elevate their games to an MVP level. As much as LaMelo Ball could benefit from that partnership, it's still not the best fit for Charlotte.
3 reasons Mike D'Antoni is wrong coach for LaMelo Ball and the Hornets
Defensive liability
The Hornets were 23rd in defensive rating in the 2021-22 season and it was the Achilles heel of the team all year long. D'Antoni historically has never been a defensive-minded coach. Ultimately, that's the reason why his teams would be great in the regular season, but fall short of their goals in the playoffs. He has always been all about high-powered offenses that tend to put up big numbers.
Ball is a versatile offensive player and his game on that side of the ball would be better with D'Antoni, but playing great defense is just as important. Hiring D'Antoni would be too much of a sacrifice for Charlotte. Plus, the Hornets roster isn't exactly loaded with the knock-down three-point shooters who are critical to his offensive approach.
Defense was something former coach James Borrego emphasized every single night in their wins and losses. He was right to do so. The Hornets gave up a lot of big leads in games, often failing to hold them until the final buzzer sounded. Hiring D'Antoni would just feature an onslaught of offensive opportunities for opponents, making it tough for Charlotte to get timely stops and close-out games—not exactly the most ideal plan.
Not the right fit
As mentioned above, the Hornets don't have the right pieces on the roster for D'Antoni to be successful as currently constructed. Miles Bridges and Terry Rozier are the other two pieces that can fit right in and adjust to any new scheme. However, the rest of the roster just doesn't scream “We need Mike D'Antoni”.
Think about the teams he's coached in the past. In Phoenix he had Amar'e Stoudemire, Raja Bell, Shawn Marion, Leandro Barbosa and Steve Nash as the head of the snake. His best Houston teams featured Chris Paul, Eric Gordon, Trevor Ariza, and Clint Capela alongside Harden. All those players knew their roles, were veterans and meshed together fairly quickly.
This Hornets team is still young and finding out what it's supposed to be in the NBA. Charlotte's personnel just doesn't stack up to what D'Antoni's worked with in the past.
This is still a project
D'Antoni has inherited established stars in his coaching career, but has he ever developed one from scratch? Not necessarily. Now, Ball will be entering year three in his already impressive career, so he isn't exactly new to the NBA, but he's still a little wet behind the ears. Ball isn't even old enough to legally drink yet. There are dozens of things for him to still learn about the game.
The rest of the roster is still young, too. Assuming Bridges re-signs, he'll be key in their success, but he's only 24. PJ Washington is only 23, while James Bouknight is 21.
There are lot of young pieces on this team that have to be groomed into what they will become. It's not impossible for D'Antoni to help develop those guys, but it could just be a waste of time, especially when there are coaches on the market that have developed young programs already. Think about what Kenny Atkinson did with the Brooklyn Nets with D'Angelo Russell and those young guys, or how Mark Jackson helped Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors realize their potential before their championship runs.
Despite him maybe not being the ideal fit for a younger team, D'Antoni is still a phenomenal coach. Curry might get the credit for changing the game with the outside shot, but the scope of D'Antoni's all-around influence on NBA is just as significant. The amount of focus he put on pace and space changed the game forever, a reality on display every night in the playoffs as teams prioritize the long ball and replace plodding centers with athletic wings.
D'Antoni is a fantastic coach. He's just not the exact perfect candidate for Ball and the Hornets.
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