The Charlotte Hornets have gotten off to a rough 7-15 start in their first 22 games of the 2023-24 season. Just about all the key pieces on the team have missed some games as well. LaMelo Ball has played in 15 games this season before suffering another ankle injury this year. Mark Williams has been sidelined due to some back issues. Even Terry Rozier hasn't been healthy all season, but he has been a bright spot for a team that is struggling to find wins. In Ball's absence, it has been Rozier's show to run.
Scary hours for the Hornets
Since Ball went out, Rozier has averaged 25.6 points, 9.3 assists, and 1.4 steals on 48/48/93% shooting splits. He's been instant offense for them, creating several opportunities for himself to thrive in P&R situations to shoot over the top of the defense or drive to the basket. Or dumping it off to the roll man, cutter, or open man on the perimeter. The offense has revolved around him and he needs to have a big game for Charlotte to stay alive in most games. In this stretch without Ball, Rozier is leading the team in points, assists, steals, and three-pointers.
What does this mean for the Hornets?
Rozier's offensive explosion could change the way the offense is run to some degree. LaMelo Ball has the ball more often than not and rightfully so. At 22 years young, he has generational talent written all over him if he's healthy and available to play. With Rozier showing that he's also capable of scoring and facilitating an offense, things would have to be split down the middle between those two, or maybe 60-40. In Ball's 15-game stretch, his numbers aren't too far off from Rozier's. 24.7 points, 8.2 assists, and 1.4 steals. Now when you factor in Miles Bridges, Gordon Hayward, and the rest of the guys, they should play off of those two.
Obviously, their averages won't remain the same, but running things equally split through your two point guards could be a formula to win games. Steve Clifford talked about Terry Rozier's mentality after one of his games against the Miami Heat.
“It’s every night. Listen, he wants to win. It’s the number one thing you want as a coach – he’s a dependable, reliable competitor. There’s nothing you can do to coach that. If you want a hard-playing team, you’ve got to have guys like him. That’s it. That’s the way it works. He’s been doing that all year. He’s been doing that his whole career.”
He loves his game, but more importantly, he loves the person Terry is even more.
But wait, there's more!
Outside of Rozier's recent offensive success, Brandon Miller has found a nice groove as well with the Hornets. His rookie season has flown under the radar. He's averaging just under 15 points per game on 44/40/81% shooting splits. Through his 20 games, he's only scored in single digits twice. The other 18 have been in double digits and he's had four 20-plus point games so far in his young career. He's been as consistent as any other rookie in his class, including more so than guys like Chet Holmgren or Victor Wembanyama. His maturation process has been fun to watch.
Charlotte has plenty of guys that can contribute to wins and make plays on both sides of the ball. Now, it's just a matter of getting everyone healthy and on the same page.
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