Charlotte Hornets at San Antonio Spurs Game Preview
Game 1: Charlotte Hornets (0-0) vs San Antonio Spurs (0-0)
After a tumultuous off-season that seemingly wouldn't end, the Charlotte Hornets finally get their 2022-2023 campaign kicked off against the Spurs in San Antonio Wednesday night. The team will be without all-star guard LaMelo Ball to open up the season, but this remains a game they can compete in and win.
A key area to watch for in this one is going to be how Terry Rozier adjusts to being the team's primary point guard for an entire game. Rozier is lethal running off of pin downs and shooting off of movement but with the Hornets needing him to be their play-maker with Ball out, he isn't going to be able to do as much of that as he normally would. Charlotte is going to absolutely need him to still find efficient ways of putting up points as well as setting up teammates and getting them into their offensive sets. Building off of that, he can't be expected to play 48 minutes running the show so it will be interesting to see who comes off the bench to play point guard. The expectation would be to see Dennis Smith Jr take on that role but watch for Theo Maledon getting some run there. Smith Jr had the highest assist percentage of his career last season in his 37 games with Portland, assisting on 30.5% of his teammates field goals while he was on the floor. Maledon's percentage has been about 18% in his two seasons with the Thunder. For comparison, LaMelo Ball boasted a 35.7% last season. It will be difficult to replace his play-making and shot creation so expect to see a group effort in that area.
The Hornets will certainly have their hands full with the Spurs' standout, Keldon Johnson. He returned from injury for San Antonio in the preseason and looked really good. He is the team's leading returning scorer from a season ago, pouring in 17 points per game. The Spurs also have a pair of rookies in Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley that will be interesting to see how they fit into the rotation. Both were excellent scorers in their collegiate careers and it is worth nothing that Charlotte allowed the Indiana Pacers rookie, Chris Duarte, to enjoy an excellent debut offensively in last year's season opener.
Steve Clifford will begin his second stint as head coach of the Charlotte Hornets, and he will go up against possibly the best coach in NBA history in Gregg Popovich. Something to watch for the entirety of the season is how Clifford changes the team's defensive performance. That end of the court is what has held them back the last few seasons, and he has a proven track record of having excellent defensive teams. If he can improve the defense while still allowing the team to play their up-tempo offensive game, the Hornets could really get something going. While fans won't get a full taste of what the offense will look like until Ball returns, the defensive potential should start to take shape against the Spurs.
Most Important Area to Watch
Charlotte's transition defense could prove to be the deciding factor in this contest. They were hurt over and over again in this facet last season, and Steve Clifford has talked often about the need to improve here. The Spurs are a very young and athletic team that could look to take advantage of this in the open court while getting easy baskets, so the Hornets will need to keep their focus and limit the damage. If they do that, they have an excellent chance of starting the season 1-0 and put the off-season behind them.
Charlotte's Active Returning 2021-2022 Stat Leaders:
Points Per Game: Terry Rozier (19.3)
Rebounds Per Game: Mason Plumlee (7.7)
Assists Per Game: Terry Rozier (4.5)
Blocks Per Game: PJ Washington (0.9)
San Antonio's Active Returning 2021-2022 Stat Leaders:
Points Per Game: Keldon Johnson (17.0)
Rebounds Per Game: Jakob Poeltl (9.3)
Assists Per Game: Tre Jones (3.4)
Blocks Per Game: Jakob Poeltl (1.7)
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