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Charlotte Hornets: Injuries Highlight Lack of Depth
The Charlotte Hornets’ string of injuries this season has highlighted a major problem with their current team: lack of depth.
With two starters currently out in Nicolas Batum and Cody Zeller, the Charlotte Hornets‘ lack of depth is showcased at the forefront of the team. While they do have a strong second unit, the individual off the bench aren’t great fill-ins for the starting lineup. Their lack of depth is concerning but if they can stay healthy, which is a big if, it can be overlooked.
One sign of an elite team at the NBA level is their ability to overcome injuries and have backups step up to fill key roles. Teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Golden State Warriors, and to a lesser extent, even the Memphis Grizzlies. While the elite of the elite has the best depth on their rosters, contending playoff teams such as the Hornets also need decent depth to replace the loss of an important player(s).
Unfortunately, Charlotte has experienced far too many injuries over the past few years and their lack of depth has come back to bite them. Last season, it was Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and the team wasn’t able to find a capable replacement until they traded for Courtney Lee at the trade deadline. This season, a number of players have sustained minor injuries but when they have missed games, the Hornets have struggled.
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Without Cody Zeller, the team has lost five of six games as Roy Hibbert has not been a capable fill-in at the starting five spot. With Nic Batum out, they are 1-1 but he is set to miss some more key games with a hyperextended knee. While the Hornets have not had to endure a major injury so far this season, they are one major loss away from becoming a potential lottery team that misses the playoffs.
With the high hopes that surround Charlotte, their depth should be better than it currently is. The team lost key players in Jeremy Lin, Courtney Lee, and Al Jefferson. All three of those players were important and they had the ability to both start and come off of the bench. That versatility was a major part of the Hornets’ success and the 48-win season.
This season is different. Ramon Sessions, while a capable backup, isn’t good enough to fill in for Kemba Walker. Jeremy Lamb and Marco Belinelli are both great bench scorers but neither could do what Nic Batum does for the team. While MKG and Marvin Williams, are less important can could be replaced more easily, they are still important pieces of the starting unit.
With the team this year, they have clear cut starters and clear cut bench/role players. The biggest drop-off and change in style of play may be from Cody Zeller, who is athletic and agile, to Roy Hibbert or Spencer Hawes, who are both slower and have downfalls on one end of the floor. Steve Clifford has a set rotation and set first and second units because the current roster isn’t versatile enough to have guys that can play both as a starter and as a backup. They are either one of the other.
That isn’t necessarily a bad thing as all of the players have set roles and they know what they need to do to win games. The Charlotte Hornets’ lack of depth only comes into play when a key player sustains an injury. As long as they can avoid major losses, which is all luck, they will be fine but one loss could crumble the fabric of this squad.
