Five Stingers Up: Hornets-Bulls

Cover Image
Photo credit Jason Huber

The Charlotte Hornets opened the 2019-20 season with a thrilling 126-125 win over the Chicago Bulls. Here were a few of my main takeaways:

1. Admittedly, I wasn't the biggest fan of the Hornets taking P.J. Washington with the 12th overall pick in this past June's draft.

Washington was an excellent player in his final year at Kentucky, where he improved every facet of his game after passing on the 2018 draft. Still, the move for Washington to many, myself included, felt like a "same old Hornets" selection of a player who was from a brand name college program, who possessed a "high-floor" but "low ceiling."

Yes, it wasn't fair to attach that same moniker on Washington just because he played a Kentucky, the same school that produced Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Malik Monk, both of which have yet to live up to their draft slots.

Well, since dawning the purple and teal, whether during the preseason, where Washington scored double-figures in every contest, averaging 12.2 points per game while knocking down 50 percent of his 3-point attempts, the rookie out of Kentucky has been effective.

In Wednesday night's home opener vs. Chicago, Washington opened his NBA career by connecting on his first three attempts from 3-point range on way to an NBA record seven three-point makes in a debut.

Washington ended his record-setting night with a franchise rookie debut high of 27 points, surpassing the previous high set by Bobcats-era center Emeka Okafor back in 2004.

The Rookie of the Year chatter might be a tad premature, but after the preseason and one game of the regular season, it looks like Mitch Kupchak hit on another first-round pick. 

Also, Greensboro doesn't appear to be in the future plans for Washington. 

"WELCOME TO THE LEAGUE YOUNG FELLA!" -@realdellcurry@PJWashington with a -- ball for his first career @NBA points!#AllFly #CHIatCHI pic.twitter.com/LJkGlUUDug

— FOX Sports: Hornets (@HornetsOnFSSE) October 23, 2019

2. Roles for veterans was one of the bigger talking points this preseason, as the Hornets begin their "transition" into a new era of the organization focused more on the development of the roster's youth.

One of the players who had no issue about a diminished role, at least in terms of starting, was forward Marvin Williams.

Williams proved that he's more than comfortable coming off the bench behind rookie P.J. Washington, scoring 17 points, while connecting on five of his seven 3-point attempts.

Given the youth in the Hornets locker room, Williams veteran leadership should be considered his top priority.

Outings like the one he had against Chicago are only an added bonus. 

Looking for a better record in the @NBA like... pic.twitter.com/old5Z1DUst

— FOX Sports: Hornets (@HornetsOnFSSE) October 24, 2019

3. Terry Rozier figures to be Hornets point guard of the future, at least for the immediate future, but his backup Devonte' Graham might be able to work himself into those same starters minutes if Wednesday night's performance becomes part of the norm.

The Raleigh native impressed off the bench, scoring 23 points while shooting six of seven from 3-point range. Graham won't always score 20-plus off the bench but his capability is a major plus considering the state of the Hornets backup point guard spot since Jeremy Lin departed for Brooklyn in the summer of 2016. 

Can get used to Devonte’ Graham doing this in the league, not gonna lie pic.twitter.com/DrREszFXZU

— Andrew Joseph (@AndyJ0seph) October 24, 2019

4. Dwayne Bacon shifting into a more "alpha" role on offense was another key storyline entering the season. Bacon started off strong with a 22-point effort, despite only making two of eight from long range. Bacon's continued development will be one of the key aspects to track as the Hornets navigate the 81 games to follow. 

Dwayne Bacon for the 23rd triple of the night -- #CrunchTimeThat's a new 3PM franchise record for the @hornets #AllFly pic.twitter.com/UoQFxoDvJh

— NBA TV (@NBATV) October 24, 2019

5. The health of Hornets center Cody Zeller is a storyline that has been overlooked coming into the 2019-20 season. Zeller missed a combined 102 games during the past three seasons, which undoubtedly played a role in the Hornets missing out on the playoffs in each of those seasons. 

Zeller enters the season once again as the starting center and on Wednesday night was the only true center to play the five as both Willy Hernangomez and Bismack Biyombo were DNP - Coach's Decisions on the night.

Zeller showed his value with a 15-point, 12 rebound double-double. 

This season isn't about wins and losses, but the health of Zeller is paramount during the Hornets "transition," as they try to figure out what the next chapter of the organization will look like.

Cody Zeller doesn’t care about the fact the Hornets might suck all year, he’s here to dunk pic.twitter.com/43VzcPfSum

— Off the Glass (@otgbasketball) October 23, 2019