Preseason Hornets vs. Knicks Recap

The Knicks visited the Spectrum Center as the Hornets fell just short today in a 109-111 point loss to the Knicks. However, there were some bright spots to note as Tre Mann and Tidjane Salaun looked like young pieces with the potential for break out years. The ugly side of the game was the cold start to the fourth quarter where the offense looked dead.

Tre Mann scored 15 points on very efficient shooting 75% from both 2 and 3. He also showed his savvy defense on an early steal in the first half. He created his own shot and was much more aggressive than last year. Do not expect him to be a catch and shoot role player this year. He will be a playmaker with the ball and will establish himself as a sixth man of the year contender. Do not be surprised if you see him late into games in the Hornets best lineup.

Tidjane Salaun showed that he is not only a willing but capable shooter. He went 3-5 from 3 hitting one from multiple steps behind the line. This is a surprise for such a raw talent that was marketed as a project due to his shooting questions. He had a quick and accurate shooting stroke with little wasted movement. He was -13 in the box score, but this is due to his lack of experience. I expect him to clean up his act on the defense with his long 6'9 frame. He is a raw defensive talent currently but arguably has the highest defensive upside of any forward on the team.

The Hornets went cold in the fourth quarter leading to their defeat. I would expect this to be fixed with more experience as a new team comes together. They rallied late in the fourth, but it was too late. Coach Lee had a good debut showing his willingness to spread the ball handling around. Lamelo did not hold all of the ball handling on his shoulders unlike his time under Steve Clifford. The defense gave up some easy baskets on miscommunications in the new system but flashed what could be a strength of the team with multiple strong team defensive possessions. The team switched much more than in the past (this was expected with Coach Lee). Expect a more positionless brand of basketball for the upcoming season under Coach Lee.