The Charlotte Hornets not only came away with a win in their first game of the season, but they showed what can be expected moving forward. That is, a solid, well-rounded starting five and influx of talented young guys. Speaking of which, the two cornerstones of the franchise showed up and triggered key runs to get back in the game. Both LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller showed flashes of how they can be pillars for this team moving forward.
Ball struggled shooting the ball, just 26 percent from the field, but hit three big threes down the stretch in the second half of the game. Toss in his six rebounds and 10 assists, you have a guy that left his mark on the game without dropping 30 points. Steve Clifford credited Ball's leadership and defense in the fourth quarter as a key reason for the win.
As for Miller, he scored 13 points in 25 minutes on 5/9 shooting. An efficient night that could've been even more impressive if he didn't get in some early foul trouble. He showed why he was picked number two overall in his first game after hitting some big three-pointers to comeback within single digits. He even hooked up with Ball off of a lob pass.
Terry Rozier and PJ Washington led the Hornets in scoring, and both players had glowing things to say about their two young stars.
“I'm excited for him. I think he has a lot more to show,” Washington said about Miller. “He’s a talented young man, and he’s just
got to keep going. He’s a special player, and I’m just happy he’s on our team, honestly.”
Terry Rozier shares high praise
Rozier had this to say about both Hornets LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller.
“Two winners, man. We got the win, that’s the most important thing. The individual play, it’ll always get better, and some guys will have better games than others, but we got our first win. We’re so happy for Brandon, being a young guy and not getting down on himself after the misses. He turned the game around, and I told him that.
“We’ve been talking about (LaMelo’s defense) on the bench. It’s just his leadership and growth, and that’s what we need. He stepped up to the plate, and I think that’s going to be him all year. Our togetherness on defense will create better offense for us, and he’s a big key to that.”
It's only year one of the two of them together, but you can't help but be excited. The idea of having an All-Star point guard and a swingman sounds like a great recipe. In order to make it in this league you need talent, and Charlotte has a lot of it with those two.
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