CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It started great, with the Charlotte Hornets shooting 71% in the first quarter. Then they looked like a team that hadn’t played in nine months.
The Toronto Raptors built a lead of 20 or more in the first three quarters, and cruised to a 111-100 preseason victory at Spectrum Center. These two teams play again Monday night, also in Charlotte.
A few observations on the first Hornets game in a long time:
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Sneaky stat that was impressive: Rookie LaMelo Ball had five rebounds in his first five minutes in an NBA uniform. He finished with 10 rebounds and four assists, but missed all five shots from the field to go scoreless.
Ball is listed at 6-7 and several teammates have mentioned he’s bigger in person than they anticipated. He uses that size well, both in grabbing boards and seeing over defenses. He threw a court-length pass to center Bismack Biyombo for a transition score. Ball says he loves those look-ahead, one-handed passes.
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The Hornets made a huge investment in free agent Gordon Hayward ($120 million over four years). They wanted his wide skill set, his 10 years of NBA experience and his efficiency on a young team.
Right away, Hayward’s efficiency showed when he scored nine quick points in the first half, making three shots from the field and both free throws. Hayward’s game doesn’t necessarily match the NBA’s love of shot value (ideally 3s or shots at the rim). He’s one of the NBA’s better mid-range jump shooters, making them at such a good rate you accept those attempts being out of vogue.
Fifteen first-half turnovers by the Hornets were way over the top, even for a preseason game and a team that hadn’t played since March.
Devonte Graham committed four of those, and Ball had three. There is obviously a learning curve when a team is looking to play faster, is empowering multiple ballhanders to start the offense and used a high pick on a rookie point guard. However, a team that isn’t going to be great defensively can’t afford to be so poor at retaining possession.
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Veteran center Bismack Biyombo returned to Charlotte on a one-year contract, saying he wanted to see through this rebuild. Biyombo took up the mentoring role last season after Marvin Williams did a contract buyout to join the Milwaukee Bucks.
During a first-half timeout, Biyombo found Ball, put his arm around the rookie and described something in a lengthy, animated discussion. That Biyombo is sharing that way, and Ball is so receptive to what he can learn, is very healthy for this team.
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Everything about an NBA game without fans in a pandemic feels bizarre. The Hornets coaches didn’t come out to the court until just a minute before tip-off. The only spectators were Hornets front-office and medical personnel, socially distanced across from the benches or in one end zone.
Hayward, who was in the restart bubble with the Boston Celtics, was asked by several Hornets what to expect. He was right when he said it’s so hard to describe, you have to experience it to understand.
