Opposition Intel: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Charlotte Hornets Preview With Andrew Snyder
By Adam McGee
Changing of the Guard
Adam McGee (@AdamMcGee11): With Courtney Lee, Jeremy Lin and Al Jefferson gone, should the Bucks be preparing to face a Hornets team with a new identity or is it the same core ideas with a few new faces?
Andrew Snyder (@acsnyde): This is a different Hornets team than last season. They won’t shoot as many threes, and they’ll rely even more on Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum offensively.
Lin leaving took away a playmaker, ball-handler, and scorer off the bench. They’ll miss Lee’s quality defensive contributions and more importantly his slightly above league average three-point shooting. Jefferson may not have been as important to Charlotte as he was a few seasons ago, but in the playoffs he showed his value. Say what you will about the big fella he can still go to work in the post and get his team a bucket.
Those losses will hurt and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Charlotte’s offensive rating dip significantly. They’ll have to win with their defense this season. If there is any coach that can figure out how to win with a mediocre offense and a staunch defense it’s Steve Clifford.