The Charlotte Hornets have been implementing a 12-14-second shot clock in practices, with hopes of playing a more uptempo game, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.
Hornets guard Malik Monk revealed this new strategy:
Article Continues Below“Way faster,” guard Malik Monk said of upping the pace. “It’s crazy that we’re learning that fast. In practice, we’ve been playing with 12- and 14-second shot clocks just to speed it up.”
These are some of the key changes that first-year head coach James Borrego has implemented. In addition, Borrego seems to be prioritizing the presence of shooters all over the perimeter and behind the arc, which pretty much spaces out the entire driving lane. Monk explained:
“(The driving lanes) are way wider,” Monk said. “And you’ve got a shooter here, a shooter there and a shooter in the corner. So if you help (on the ball-handler) it’s (an open) 3. It’s super spaced-out and [I] love that.”
The aforementioned offensive strategies seem to be made especially for star guard Kemba Walker. As a terrific ball-handler and offensive gunner, there are only a handful of guards who can stop him one-on-one.
And given Borrego's offense, collapsing on Walker would only mean wide-open 3s for his teammates for days. The fast-paced style also means that the opposing team should have their defenses ready.