The Charlotte Hornets dropped their fourth consecutive game Monday, losing by 33 points to the Detroit Pistons. In five home games to begin the season, the Hornets have now suffered two blowouts at the Spectrum Center, losing by 47 points to the Atlanta Hawks and now 33 points at the hands of the Pistons.
A former two-time All-NBA selection, Cade Cunningham was dominant, finishing the game with a team-high 33 points to go along with seven assists, five rebounds and five steals. Duncan Robinson poured in 24 points as well, converting on six of his nine 3-point attempts. Ausar Thompson, Paul Reed and Ron Holland II also finished in double figures. For the Hornets, Brandon Miller finished with 17 points and Naz Reid added 13. Sion James and Grayson
Allen tallied 11 each. Before Charlotte faces the Nets Wednesday, here are three things to take note of.
3. Inefficiency has plagued this offense all season
While it doesn't help that the Hornets lead the NBA in turnovers per game, when they are able to put together a quality offensive possession, they've had trouble scoring. After another sub-100 performance Monday, the Hornets are the only NBA team to average fewer than 100 points per contest (97.4). At 40.5% from the field, the Hornets are dead last in field goal percentage, headlined by Sion James who is shooting 27.7% in eight starts.
2. Can Naz Reid fulfill the role Charlotte needs him to?
On paper, the pairing between the Hornets and Naz Reid seemed like a perfect match this summer. However, eight games in, it hasn't looked too pretty. While Reid is averaging a career-high in points (15.5) and rebounds (8.3) in his first season as a starter, he hasn't been as advertised on offense. Reid is shooting a career-low 39.5% from the field, a tough pill to swallow, considering Reid's size. He's also shooting 34.5% from beyond the arc on 6.9 3-point attempts per game. While the former LSU forward can certainly turn things around in support of Miller, Coby White and Kon Knueppel, his performance has been a bit disappointing in an increased role to begin the year.
1. Charlotte hasn't been able to replicate last year's 3-point shooting success
Why were the Hornets so great offensively a season ago? They led the league in 3-pointers made while finishing third in 3-point percentage. After loading up on 3-point shooters to take a similar approach this season, things haven't gone to plan. Despite leading the league in 3-pointers attempted (44.4), Charlotte is tied for 16th in makes (13.1). At 29.6%, Charlotte is 29th in the league in 3-point percentage, one of only two teams shooting below 30%.
For more NBA content, check out the BasketBaltes podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/@BasketBaltes
https://www.instagram.com/basketbaltes/
This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: 3 things from Charlotte's 124-91 defeat to Detroit
