Charlotte has been decimated with players being out this past week due to covid protocols and another illness going around the team. Charlotte beat Atlanta and battled hard against Philly twice, but Joel Embiid ultimately proved to be too much with some help from the officials. Guys go out of the lineup and its next man up and that is what we saw once again against the Sacramento Kings. James Bouknight had his welcome to the NBA moment, JT Thor continues to show why he was drafted in the 2nd round, and we even saw Kai Jones and Arnoldas Kulboka. Young guys were able to get their opportunities, role players were able to take a larger role and Charlotte was still able to compete and win games without three starters and key role players. It’s a testament to the culture that is being built in Charlotte and you must give credit to the entire organization from Mitch Kupchak to James Borrego. Here are some observations from the Hornets’ 124-123 win over the Sacramento Kings.
Bouknight Thrives:
James Bouknight was waiting on his opportunity to play significant minutes in the Hornets’ rotation and in his 26 minutes he scored 24 points and grabbed six rebounds. Bouknight was able to get it going from three, hitting 6-8 attempts from behind the arc. Many have called for Bouknight to enter the rotation and he gave his fans a brilliant performance against Sacramento. If Bouknight can become a consistent player in the Hornets’ rotation it can make Charlotte even more dangerous than they already are.
Miles Does It All:
Miles continued his bid to not only win the NBA’s Most Improved Player award, but possibly make the All-Star team. Miles had 23 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. Miles, along with Kelly Oubre and Gordon Hayward, have had to play heavy minutes this week, but led Charlotte to split this four-game home stand without three starters and seen players total. Friday’s victory over the Kings was a huge win for the Hornets. Miles Bridges should be the run away leader for Most Improved Player and is about to secure a huge bag this offseason.
Cody Martin’s Development:
Cody Martin has come a long way offensively this season. Martin was always known as a hustle guy, but with LaMelo Ball, Ish Smith and Terry Rozier out Martin had to play point guard and did about as well as you could ask him to do. In the last four games Martin had 19,14,12, and 19 points while shooting 54% from the floor, 50% from three and 80% from the foul line. His development has been a nice boost for Charlotte and the Hornets wouldn’t have been able to beat Atlanta or Sacramento without Martin’s play. Even though Martin had a mental lapse, fouling De’Aaron Fox thinking he had a foul to give when the Hornets didn’t, Fox missed both free throws and the Hornets were able to secure the win.
Reinforcements should be on the way as it’s expected that many of the guys out with health and safety protocols should be able to return Monday as the Hornets start a six-game road trip against a struggling Dallas Mavericks team. If Charlotte can get through this road trip the schedule eases up as we enter 2022.