1 advantage the Orlando Magic have over every Southeast Division team
1 advantage the Orlando Magic have over every Southeast Division team
Charlotte Hornets: Paint Presence
The Charlotte Hornets have a dynamic backcourt with some size and scoring ability that will still keep teams on their toes despite the expectation the Hornets will finish near the bottom of the Eastern Conference once again.
With a healthy LaMelo Ball, this team is still extremely dangerous. Nobody should take the Hornets for granted — not until they inevitably fade from the race.
The Hornets have a lot of weapons on the perimeter and will be a dangerous team in transition.
But the weakness the Hornets have always struggled to fill is at center and establishing some paint dominance. They had Cody Zeller for years as their starting center. They have followed that up by drafting Mark Williams, Vernon Carey, JT Thor and Kai Jones in successive drafts.
The Hornets always seem to be seeking a center, interior presence and a defensive backstop. The Hornets finished 20th in defensive rating last year (114.7 points allowed per 100 possessions) despite Steve Clifford’s general brilliance in establishing good defensive fundamentals in young teams.
Charlotte averaged 53.0 points in the paint per game last year, 11th in the league. The Hornets were much better at attacking the paint than you would think. And they have plenty of players who can carve up the inside. Adding Brandon Miller should give them another big body who can get into the lane or pull up for mid-range jumpers.
But the Hornets gave up 52.8 points in the paint per game, 22nd in the league. That is very unlike Clifford defenses.
The paint, it turns out, is one of the Magic’s biggest strengths.
Orlando last year averaged 50.0 points in the paint per game, 17th in the league. But the team’s defense was built on stopping shots in the lane. The Magic ranked sixth in the league giving up 47.6 points in the paint per game.
In Orlando’s three wins over Charlotte last year, Orlando dominated the paint. The Magic outscored the Hornets 56-38 in their November win in Orlando, 62-56 in the paint in their February win in Charlotte and 64-52 in the paint in their March win.
Orlando is a team that can get going downhill and dominate the paint. And Charlotte is a team that does not have many options to stop them.