With the addition of more shooters, the Hornets need to add plays that will benefit their 3-point shooters.
This season's Hornets are going to be different from Charlotte teams of years past. For starters, they have a new name, logo, and uniforms. The team has been completely re-branded itself into something new and it has everybody excited. As the Hornets go into the season, the best way to match this exciting re-brand would be an exciting team on the court.
Luckily for Hornets fans, they got just that. Not only do they have a dominant center in Al Jefferson, but with the addition of Lance Stephenson's ball creation and the upgrade in 3-point shooting across the board, the team can now be that much more exciting.
Last year, Charlotte was pass-happy. They always moved the ball, if for no other reason than not letting it sit in one place. This was useful in wearing out the defense and creating lanes, but the team still struggled at shooting. This season, when they move the ball, they'll now be free to let it fly from deep, which adds another asset to their offense. But why stop there? If you're going to add the 3-point shot to your team, then go all in with it. Start throwing some off ball screens into that offensive package.
Watching the team last year, they liked running pick and rolls, but they didn't run too many off-ball screens. The main reason for this was defenses didn't consider their shooters enough of a threat to fight through the screens. They almost always went under them. Sometimes this worked out by creating an open passing lane, but more often than not it was wasted away the shot clock.
Now, they have legitimate shooting threats, a brilliant coach, and a huge threat down low to pull defenses away from the perimeter. Charlotte can now start a screen bonanza. Anybody that watched the Hawks last year knows what I'm talking about. Players running off-ball, going around a screen, and raining 3-pointers on their opponents. When they have Cody Zeller on the floor, they can run an elevator doors play. Or the Hornets can throw packages of multiple screens across the floor. Have Brian Roberts run off one screen set by Cody Zeller, and then have him go baseline and go off another. When you have shooters, the options are endless.
The Hornets offense last year looked okay, and I'm sure it will be better this year. The best way to maximize that offense is going to be by making the screen a large part of their offense. They've added the personnel to do it, now they just need to execute it.