Why do the Hornets continue to underachieve? What’s their bug spray?

[Double Helix]

For a couple offseasons now fans have penciled in the Hornets to, at a minimum, compete for the #8 seed in the East but they just can’t seem to get it together. On paper there seems to be a lot to like there.

You have a dynamic, high usage, scoring PG in Kemba Walker. Many strong teams are built around players with a lot of his attributes.

With Kemba in the Batman role there you have a very nice “Robin” in Nic Batum.

They have the prototypical 3&D PF the league keeps looking for in Marvin Williams. He’s become a strong impact player.

They have Dwight Howard playing better on both ends and looking slightly younger.

They have some pretty solid role players in guys like Jeremy Lamb, MKG, Zeller and Kaminsky.

On paper they seem to have the ingredients of a team that should be closer to 6th or so in the East but this year again is looking like another early disappointment. Batum’s injury hurt obviously but it feels like more than that. Something about them just doesn’t come together the way it should. Whereas some teams seem to be stronger than the sum of their parts individually, the Hornets seem weaker. And it’s not like the OKC situation where the issue seems to be getting a few stars to play to their strengths. The Hornets seem to have a pretty clear pecking order and role player support. They have some 2-way talents.

What are your thoughts on their struggles? How would you retool them into a team that could, at minimum, be in the 5-6 race in the East?

[Liver_Pooty]

[ZemGOAT]

Thier problem is how they finish games in the 4th from what im seeing

[afarmenian]

You cant expect to build around a player like Kemba without another star player. I think Kemba is a great point but isnt a superstar. I dont think they have another top 30 maybe top 40 player so thats your answer right there. The Hornets are what the Wizards would be without Beal.

Getting Howard was a a mistake. He might get them to win a few more games but in the long run he is just a big disappointing clown bandaid.

[J-House]

Hornets also don’t draft well

[Double Helix]

That’s the thing though. They haven’t even been able to achieve like 5-7 treadmill status and be stuck there for a couple years. If they had I’d understand that and that’s about where I thought they’d peak but they haven’t even done that. They inexplicably seem to be stuck more in the 9-11 treadmill range, which is the worst treadmill range of all to be in.

From the outside looking in they seem like they should have been better these past couple years. They’re built in a manner that seems to make sense on paper. Heck, I’ll go as far as to say that on paper they seem like they should be within the Portland Trailblzers tier of low playoff seeds. Portland on paper does seem better but head to head I wouldn’t say they seem clearly a tier above and yet they are in reality.

Something about the makeup or coaching or both on Charlotte just doesn’t work.

[Froob]

8-3 at home, 1-10 on the road. How?

[3Diamantidis]

They need to change head coach.

[Long2s]

Kemba isn't good enough to be as ball dominant as he is.

[naabzor]

Batum is always hurt... MKG is always hurt and is a bust... Marvin Williams is what he is... a meh player... I don't see all the talent you are listing... Lamb become serviceable this year...

[Pinkyring]

if their ceiling is the 8th seed, how are they underachieving? they don't have much talent

[Kalela]

Jim Calhoun just came out of retirement to coach division III school St. Joseph. They should poach him from that school. Also they need to fire Rich Cho just for how poorly he has been drafting and get someone competent in the front office.

[MPM]

Agree with OP - on paper, this is easily a playoff team. As you can imagine, our fanbase is beyond frustrated. Certain players should shoulder some of the blame - Nic looks awful in every imaginable way, Kaminsky shows up every 3rd or 4th game, Howard is a TO machine. But, I also personally think the players have started to tune Clifford out. Too many games where the team shows up with zero energy or focus - even after days of rest. This is unfortunate as Clifford seems to be respected within the organization and around the league, but after the mediocrity he's rolled out every year, his warts have become pretty glaring. He's a defense first coach whose team seems unwilling or unable to play defense anymore. If not the absolute worst, we are one of the worst 4th quarter offensive teams in the league. We fall into Kemba/Howard ISO ball far too easily and he locks into rotations that seem to be driven more out of ideology than on-the-court realities (insisting on playing a slow-footed, out of shape Batum at SG, opting for Dwight over Cody despite glaringly unfavorable matchups, etc.). Finally, as much to do with defensive schemes than lack of effort, we routinely leave open 3's despite this being a league built almost solely to shoot them. It's ugly, friends. I would not doubt a Clifford firing at some point this season, with Silas sliding in as interim head coach.

[DoItALL9]

They need to change head coach.

That's otw at least temporarily

Patrick Ewing missed his chance smh

[Double Helix]

The other weird thing I noticed is that it wasn't long ago when the Hornets were playing like one of the better defensive teams in the league. It seemed like if they got their offence going after that they'd have a solid net rating (usually a good sign of future success). Kemba Walker made efficiency improvements but the team defence seems to have slipped and Kemba's offensive improvements perhaps haven't translated as much to team success as expected.

I hadn't noticed what was going on with Nic Batum there but that's interesting. When he was up for his big extension I remember Zach Lowe hyping him up as one of the more underrated wings in the league.

[Jody Smokz]

Kemba's fine but like the other poster said, they don't even have a top 30 NBA player after him unless you included Dwight who can be that at times.

Kemba isn't good enough to be as ball dominant as he is.

[taj2133]

it steve clifford he needs to be fired

[Bertrob]

Blaming Steve Clifford, when the talent on the team is horrible. Thats the NBA for you

[NyKnicks1714]

I don't see it as underachievement; ~.400 sounds about right to me based on that roster.

[taj2133]

Blaming Steve Clifford, when the talent on the team is horrible. Thats the NBA for you

They have the talent its the coach that is bad they should be a playoff team in the east.