In triumphant start to the 2021-22 NBA season, the Golden State Warriors are 5-1 with some of the best all-around performances in the league. They’ve gotten the job done on both ends of the floor and will look to do it again against the Charlotte Hornets.
Only, taking on the Hornets will not be as simple in years past. This is a brand new team in Charlotte, full of athletic wings and streaky shooters. With a fascinating lead ball-handler in LaMelo Ball at the core of their attacks — this squad is going to provide a challenge to the Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors have been a solid defensive team but their grit will be put to the test against a dangerous Charlotte Hornets squad.
The Hornets are entering Wednesday’s game as one of the NBA’s most surprising teams. They sit at seventh place in the East but have had some impressive wins early on. Most of all, Charlotte ranks near the top of the NBA in some important factors.
Charlotte leads the league in scoring by a decent margin. Averaging 117.5 points per game, the Hornets have a firm lead over the New York Knicks who rank second with 115.1 points. As for Golden State, the Dubs are in 12th place at 110.8.
This is not all for the Hornets. They are fourth in 3-pointers made, first in 3-point percentage, first in transition scoring and third in assists. This is a run-and-gun team that can make you pay for mistakes.
It should be alarming, then, that the Warriors are 23rd in the NBA for turnovers. They commit 16.5 errors a game — all of which can be used by the Hornets to do what they do best: move in the open floor.
The Dubs will have to be disciplined against the Hornets due to their speed in transition and effective 3-point shooting. Miles Bridges leads the team ins coring at 23.1 points but Ball is the one who determines their success with an electric stat line of 20.1 points, 6.1 assists, 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals.
It will come down to the Warriors’ perimeter defense in this one. Andrew Wiggins, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Andre Iguodala, Draymond Green, Gary Payton and Damion Lee will have to turn this game into a grind fest rather than a fast-paced gun-slinging battle.
Physicality is one of the reasons Cleveland was able to topple the Hornets in their recent game. The brute strength of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley made it difficult for many of the Hornets’ players to get comfortable and it resulted in a 4-for-18 shooting night from Bridges.
Golden State has a nice rotation of versatile defenders who can get into the chest of guys like Ball, Bridges and Terry Rozier. Of course, the Warriors will have a bit of extra motivation against Kelly Oubre, who left the team in free agency this summer.
All in all, this matchup between an up-and-coming Hornets team and a Dubs squad that is on the hunt for redemption should make for a great night of NBA basketball.