LaMelo Ball continues his hot streak with yet another triple-double posted in a home win against the Spurs. PLUS Mark Williams and Nick Richards combine for 9 blocks against since January 26th. Nick Carboni of WCNC joins Doug Branson to discuss everything they learned.
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Today on the locked on Hornets podcast Lamello ball finally gets his triple Double Mark Williams put on a block Party along with Nick Richards too I'm Joined by Nick Carbone we'll break it All down today on the lockdown Hornets Podcast We're locked on the locked on podcast Network your team every day in America We live [Music] It's locked on Hornets were part of the Locked on podcast Network your team Every day this episode is brought to you By our friends at FanDuel Sportsbook the Official sports book of locked on make Every moment more visit fanduel.com Locked on today to get started I'm Doug Branson I'm over on the left hand side I'm usually on the right hand side Joined by Walker male he's out today He's playing hooky if you hear him on WFNZ just know that's that's when you Know he likes them more but it's good News because that means I'm joined by Nick Carbone of WCNC Nick what's going On What's up Doug yeah it's tough when You're on radio or television to like Cancel plans on people because then you Just have to hope that They don't watch you or listen to you at Your regular job be like that's right You were on TV and you sounded fine
You know right it was like yeah it's Like it's like calling out of school you Know when you were younger and you could Then you can't play video games because If you're playing video games you're not Sick right and so that's it if you hear Walker on WFNZ you know they played Hooky on locked on and that's okay look He's leaving me in the left-hand side That's dangerous that's what he's doing Is dangerous and so that's on him Whatever happens on today's show Whatever is said I just want everyone to Know it's on Walker Mill you can Attribute anything that I say today to Walker Mel not to me They're uncharted waters for the Lockdown Hornets podcast Exactly uh you can find more of my Thoughts my musings on my uh sub stack It's called every Hornets box score Every Hornets box score.com fun one that I did because the Hornets get a win over The San Antonio Spurs 120 to 110 is the Final score we got a couple of things to Recap from that game and then stick Around because in the final segment of Today's show Nick and I will do a Segment that we do whatever Nick is on The show called what did we learn but It's going to be a first half of the Season or pre-all-star break edition of What did we learn about the Charlotte Hornets but first let's get into this
Game final game before the All-Star Break they get the win over San Antonio Expected I mean they were favored by Seven points they end up winning by 10. I think the big story here though Nick Is lamelo ball who finally gets a triple Double he's been flirting with it for Three games now and two of those games He was one rebound away now he finally Gets it 28 points 12 rebounds 10 assists I'm gonna ask you the same question that Walker and I asked each other in the Last episode what's gotten into lamello Ball Yeah I think he likes getting triple Doubles I mean they told him at halftime Last night uh you know and who doesn't But I I think lamelo really kind of Likes you know adding to that total That's nine now for his career a Franchise record uh and he'll shatter That at some point when it's all said And done but um you know he likes Getting triple doubles he likes helping The team in a variety of ways he likes Doing a variety of things on the Basketball floor and you asked to love a Player like that I mean he is just doing A whole lot he's he's rebounding a Little more it was funny I know you guys Mentioned Steve Clifford's uh joke I Guess the other night I was in the press Conference Ask lamelo about the rebounding because
He had six that night and he was four Shy of a triple double so they told him At halftime last night uh basically he Was he was gonna get there if he kept Doing what he was doing and he did so Um I love it I mean you know you look at Some of the best players in the league And all of it they do do and how Well-rounded they are Luca LeBron Obviously and now lamelo is the second Youngest to a thousand points rebounds And assists uh the the only player to do It younger than lamelo is LeBron James So I think it's great Um hopefully it attracts another Superstar down the road but that's a Different conversation Now I think you make a great point in That lamelo ball identifies as someone Who can do a little bit of everything And I think honestly a lot of young Players understand now that that is the New game because because the game is so Fast because there are so many more Possessions than in years past you know These star players in this league do Unless they are like physical freaks They do a little bit of everything and Lamelo was certainly doing that and I Thought in the third quarter he was Definitely hunting that assist in the Pick and roll with Nick Richards at Times but as Steve Clifford said after The game lamelo still You know despite
Looking for that triple double he Maintains a level of competitiveness That is that is unique for anyone in the League and I think signifies what Lamello is capable of if he keeps you Know improving on certain aspects of his Game uh so here's another question that I've been thinking about you know Post-trade deadline they get rid of McDaniels they they send Mason Plumley To the Clippers And this is something that I I can't Remember if it was a comment on my sub Stack or or tweet but someone sort of Brought this up like was was Mason Plumley holding lamelo ball back a Little bit like was plumdog millionaire Was Point plumly holding lamello back to A certain extent because ever since the The trade deadline he has been on fire With Mark Williams at the center Position Yeah it is funny um you know yeah If you're depending on guys to make Shots high percentage shots obviously And Mark Williams I don't think there's Anybody on the team better at you know Mason Plumley was having the best year Of his life but when you get down to That three foot range around the rim Nobody's going to be better and more Efficient at putting it away than Mark Williams so yeah certainly that helps Lamello maybe it helps lamello that uh
An assist Hawker like Mason Plumley Isn't out there on the floor anymore I Mean he was a great mover of the Basketball as we all know that was part Of the Allure for the Clippers to go and Get him Um you know you have some guys you know Gordon Hayward moves the ball pretty Well but now lamelo is you know Far and Away the best guy at finding other Players on the floor so maybe having Mason out of there help helps that a Little bit yeah and you know the Rebounds too because they're not a Strong rebounding team especially Without Mason Plumley and so now lamelo Can step in I think he's actually ticked Up his rebounds a little bit too Yo absolutely I mean and that was the Strange thing about lamello coming back From that first injury is he he didn't Look quite like the lamello ball that we Had seen you know even in the in the Previous season and one of those numbers That indicated that what was the Rebounding number and I think you're Right on on the Mason Plumley thing Mason Plumley was taking some of his Assists and and Mason Plumley to his Credit was doing that without lamelo Ball on the floor you know while Lamela Was injured and he just I think the Offense sort of Began to grow into Mason plumly while
Lamelo was off the floor and that didn't Really revert back once lamelo got back So he was taking some of the assists and You're right Mason Plumley was a far Better rebounder than than Mark Williams Is now and so lamelo has been more Aggressive on the boards there were a Couple of opportunities against San Antonio look they gave up 20 offensive Rebounds but even still there were a few Opportunities they could have given up 23-24 had it not been for lamelo getting In there and grabbing the basketball He's aggressive when it comes to Rebounding and I hope that rubs off on Mark Williams because we're going to Talk about him in the second segment but I'd love to see a little bit more Aggressiveness from him on the boards Final thing on lamello as it relates to Mark Williams you know we've gotten a Little game sample here of Mark Williams At Center of lamelo ball running the Pick and roll with Mark and and he got a Few buckets in this one off that pick And roll Mark did against San Antonio What have you thought of that Relationship between lamello and Mark Williams in the pick and roll on offense Yeah I think it'll only continue to get Better I mean the pick and roll Offensively and defensively is really What Mark Williams has probably uh been Working on the most since he's been in
The league because if he can kind of Master that the way even you know Cody Zeller was able to just dive down there And feel what the guard was doing but More with Kemba for him and even Mason Plumley once Mark Williams kind of just Masters that with That player uh that can be a borderline Unstoppable force on offense and then You have the fact that lamello can shoot It and then you have the fact that Steve Clifford keeps saying that Mark Williams Is going to shoot it eventually Um you know that that'll be interesting In itself so uh yeah what He's getting the feel for it more and More uh lamello and Williams are getting A feel for each other more and more and You know outside of the number one Overall selection and a center from France uh I think Mark Williams has a Really good shot at being the future Center of this franchise uh for quite a While I think he's developing I think You're seeing it in year one the Progress that he's made Um so to have a seven-footer or you know Really a little little bigger than that Paired with lamelo ball uh running that PNR I mean that's that's juicy stuff Right there I mean that's that's Something you should really look forward To going forward especially when they Start to perfect it and get the get
Really get the feel for it juicy it is Juicy it is about it is about feel it is About Rhythm because I don't think it's Quite there yet and there they were Successful in this one and I think That's more about you know San Antonio And what they've got going on Defensively in size they get rid of Pearls so you don't have to deal with That in the middle this is a great Matchup for Mark Williams you know in Terms of his offense when he rolls hard It's amazing but it feels like it's Taking some pretty incredible passes From lamelo ball and you know Mark Williams using all of that wingspan to Make those pick and roll plays work I Think you're going to see in the back Half of this season and into next season Hopefully you're going to see things get A little bit easier in the pick and roll And Mark Williams still convert and then Sort of the evolution off of that and This is what he had with Mason Plumley In the in the few games that they played Together is the second level is all Right yes we've mastered the pick and Roll in terms of I can find you Mark and You can score but what is that next Level the next level is all right I can Find Mark and then Mark can kick it out You know that that is we've seen Mark at Times be an underrated passer but we Just haven't seen him much since he's
Been in the starting position and I Think that's about you know just keeping Things simple as he attacks match-ups That are much more difficult than what He's been dealing with uh since he's Been the backup center you know things Are getting a little bit tougher and Teams are attacking them both on the Defensive end and teams are attacking Him on the offensive end in terms of Throwing a couple of doubles at him now That he's in the starting position so Interesting to watch we're going to keep Talking about Mark Williams in the Second segment coming up on the locked On Hornets podcast don't go to sleep on The Hornets just yet Talked a lot about his offense but what About his defense I'll spoil it for you It was pretty great especially at the End of the game four blocks we'll dive Into it plus we got a premiere of SV SV Makai Luca a trade piece coming back to The Hornets actually got some run in This one because of a Terry Rozier Injury that's coming up on the locked on Hornets podcast but first got to tell You about our friends at FanDuel Sportsbook the official sports book of The locked on podcast Network the Midway Point of the NBA season is here it is Now and it's the perfect time to Download FanDuel America's number one Sports book because new customers get a
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Think it should have been six blocks These scores and this was the home score So I can't even use the away team you Know scores an excuse here but they keep Taking blocks away from my guy I thought He had six you could look at the Twitter Timeline of some of the people that Follow the Hornets and and tweet about Them and everybody else thought he had Five six blocks and we get the final box Score he gets four blocks which is still Tremendous Nick Richards adds five Blocks as a team they had 12 block shots In this game it was a factor especially Late Mark Williams blocking Bates job Corner three attempt into the 15th row With 117 to go it was an incredible blog What did you see for Mark Williams Defensively in this game yeah well I Mean the last two games he's had Big Blocks on the perimeter which is really Great to see that they're gonna put him Out there and he's going to affect shots Out there as well obviously Within five feet of the basket he can Change even the dynamic of a single Possession with his ability to block and I think he's got multiple blocks in each Of his last or five of his last six Games now Um so yeah I mean you want to throw a Few more on there that's fine too uh but He's somebody that's going to make People think about you know getting down
Into the paint and putting a shot up uh Or you know maybe putting a bad shot up And and then like I said I think the Thing that stands out the last two games With the block shots is where some of Them have happened and when they've Happened uh you know the one against Trey young obviously pretty much sealed The game and then he was able to get up The floor and you know complete complete That play and make the basket so um Where he's making those blocks the last Few games is really cool because you Know you could see that once he develops And hopefully as the team gets better Happening in really big moments uh not Just against the the Spurs but that was Nice to see He's been making timely blocks they've Been sort of like you know I talk about Narrative shots all the time young Players have to come in and if they Really want to like raise their raise Their profile raise their ability to Like make an All-Star game they have to Hit the narrative shots they have to hit The shots in the fourth quarter when Teams need the most so that they you Know it's it's one thing to like score 25 points but can you hit the shot when It matters Mark Williams showing that he Can make the defensive play when it Matters and also think an interesting Timing thing with Mark Williams is that
He's making blocks After making mistakes like there were a Lot of these blocks if you look at them Are recovery blocks because Mark Williams gave up an offensive rebound or Because Mark Williams made a mistake in Pick and roll coverage and has to Recover back and he uses those amazing Physical gifts to you know essentially Get a chase down block because he messed Something up in the pick and roll Coverage and so I think what's going to Be interesting for Mark Williams and I Wonder if you agree with this is like as He gets better defensively as Steve Clifford continues to work with him his Block numbers might go down but his Defense might get better Yeah that'll that'll be interesting and I think what I'm always watching for With Mark Williams right now at this Point is just the match-up who is he Going up against uh you know he's gonna Have a great game and then he's going to Go up against Nicola jokic and you know Have three fouls really early uh it's Almost like watching and waiting for a Player to find that next level in real Time and I think he will find it but not Every matchup is going to suit him right Now because he doesn't have the Physicality that hopefully five years Down the road he will uh but yeah that Would be interesting as he is in better
Position not having even guys you know Attempt shots or just having guys Completely throw up something wild Because they can't get it around his Wingspan uh could bring his block Numbers down that would be interesting But I think what what you're seeing in Those timely moments uh what you're Seeing on the perimeter at the end of Games uh I think that is something that He can really you know develop into a Strong suit of like hey we can run Mark Williams out there on you uh and you're Going to have to try to shoot it over Him at the end of the game Yeah absolutely and Nick Richards gets Five blocks that number is going to get Buried a little bit because you know Nick Richards is playing from the bench Right now but I think the same thing With Nick Richards is like yeah five Block shots but there were a lot of Moments where he was making big Defensive mistakes it's a little bit I Called it in every Hornet's box score Like it's a little Jekyll and Hyde even More so than Mark Williams Nick Richards Is Jekyll and Hyde when it comes to the Defensive end like he can have this Amazing block shot and then on the Following possession you know bite hard On a Devonte Graham shot and just give Up give up an easy bucket and so those Are the kind of things with the center
Position that they're really gonna going To have to figure out that you know that Might happen in in the second half of This season or or it might happen you Know sometime in the off season as they Figure out what they want to do with This position but you and I aren't the Only ones talking about this Clifford is Too after the game this was the quote uh Courtesy of that British underscore buzz James plow Wright from SI here with the Quote on Twitter saying uh Steve Clifford on Mark Williams and Nick Richards quote they both make Exceptional plays due to their size and Athleticism what they need to do on on Top of that is make less mistakes and Not give possessions away so Steve Clifford especially with young players Never afraid to enter a little truth and Pour a little cold water on what was Nine combined blocks like fans are going To look at those numbers and go wowie Wowie wowie and Steve fliffert trying to Say okay hold on a minute but you know a Lot of those blocks were because they Were having to recover off of some bad Defensive issues all right let's let's Move to uh I think probably the third Biggest storyline from this game there Were a lot of story lines in this one But the third one was FEMA Kai Luke a Player that comes over in the Jalen McDaniels trade I don't think a lot of
Hornets fans were very familiar with SV Uh and and what he could do and what he Couldn't do and CV comes out in the First quarter and he plays because Terry Rozier was a late scratch with a hand Sprain I don't think it's anything Serious but he did I missed this final Game before the break so they placed V He doesn't take a shot in the first Quarter then in the second quarter he Takes I think eight or nine shots A few of them go in but the one that Went in and I think everybody was like Whoa okay was lamelo throwing it almost From the logo alley oops V gets way up And yams it down were you Nick carpody Were you surprised that SV had the Hops Uh yeah I was surprised by SV in general I mean I did not see that coming when They got SV in the trade obviously and And obviously they got Reggie Jackson as Well who was clearly a buyout candidate You know they They weren't going to have a buyout Situation with speed just because of you Know lack of interest I'm sure for him On the open market so those guys were Talked about as kind of just like Throwaways and those deals and all of a Sudden speed comes in here against the Spurs and puts up a dozen points Um I don't know how much of that is Sustainable but yeah I was certainly Surprised I mean he's a guy we've heard
Of I remember watching in college in Kansas who's a really really strong College player haven't heard much about Him until the trade this week but you Know good for him I mean take advantage Of an opportunity the Spurs are are Going to give you that opportunity Um but yeah I'm not sure what we're Going to see from speed going forward But it was it was cool to see that last Night I'll go with that oh yes yes I was Wondering if you were going to land the Plane I was going I was wondering if you were Going to lay on the plane and you did it You had an engine out and you did it Beautifully emergency landing on we'll See what we see Um all right so I have to go over a Couple of these V plays so I just Mentioned the alley-oop okay then he Followed that up with a Euro and one Through his Kansas teammate Devonte Graham and now plays for the Spurs so a Little Rock Chalk there uh he attempted A step back off the bounce and you know I didn't know he had a step back I mean I didn't notice V had a step back shot And I mean he was Brave he gets a back Cut dunk in that second quarter he was All over the place he also hit a big Three and I think that's the thing if You were going to say like one thing That people knew about SV is they could
Shoot threes and he was struggling early On in this game to shoot those threes he Was missing them but he did hit a big One in in the fourth quarter uh so it Was it was nice to see uh him do a few Things because look you're you've got a Player back in the trade Um you know to make at least make things Interesting in this in the second half Of this season I don't think that svma Kai Luke is necessarily going to be in The long-term plans of the Charlotte Hornets he's on an expiring contract They can let him go at the end of this Season Um but but look I mean if you're cheering for triple Doubles from lamelo ball having a guy That can knock down three-point shots is Is Not a Bad Thing uh final question Before we go uh to what did we learn So the tankinistas are not going to like This win you know that you get a 10-point win over the Spurs and and it Looked dicey there it didn't always look Like they were going to going to win This game they didn't necessarily Dominate this game it was tied after After one quarter it was pretty close After the second quarter they pulled Away in the third quarter okay so you've Now won a couple in a row Um what are your general thoughts on How what this roster can do moving
Forward and how that's going to affect Their ability uh to to get one of those Two draft jewels that are sitting there In this upcoming draft Yeah I mean I think we they've proven That they're not one of the worst three Teams in the NBA and there is kind of Like a a separator between Houston San Antonio Detroit overall although the Matchup for the Hornets has it hasn't Planned out panned out but then they're Tried against everybody else uh you know Has not been good those those are the Worst three teams in the league then You've got the Hornets and then I think You go up to the magic and they're a Young team so we'll see what happens to Them so I think you're gonna they're Fans are going to have to you know Maybe not accept the fact but at least Come to terms with the fact that you're Going to lose that Percent and a half chance at the number One overall selection it's going to be Down to twelve and a half percent come Lottery night probably uh because you You weren't able to offload Terry Rozier You weren't able to offload Gordon Hayward Um you know at the trade deadline and Those guys are healthy and those guys Are a professional basketball players And they're not bad so you pair that With a healthy lamello ball and a
Surging rookie Center in Mark Williams Uh who is you know Night in and night out you know kind of Closing the gap between his play and Where Mason Plumley was at you know You're kind of intact right now as a Team Um and you know they won consecutive Games heading into the All-Star break They haven't won consecutive games at Many points during the season I mean I Think three times maybe at this point so Uh this is not going to be in my mind a Bottom three team in the league Um and you know you're just gonna have To hope the the ping pong balls bounce Your way Yeah and I don't know if you noticed This pregame but the the like hand Device that Kelly oubre was wearing is Gone the splint is gone uh so he looks Like he's closer and closer returning so I think you're right coming up on the Locked on Hornets podcast don't go to Sleep on the Hornets just yet What did we learn from this pre-all-star Break period it's going to look Different certainly in the post All-Star Break period of this season but Nick and I are going to look back and uh see if We can ascertain some things that we Learned from that pre-all-star break Period all ahead on the locked on Hornets podcast
Fragment it is a recurring segment here On the lockdown Hornets podcast whenever We have Nick Carbone on the show and It's called what did we learn typically We're looking back at the week that was But since we are here at the All-Star Break I want to ask Nick Nick what have You learned from the entire portion of The Season that has come before the All-Star break in terms of the Charlotte Hornets Well I've learned what Mitch cupjack's Perspective on this season so far is Because we had not heard from him all Season until the morning after the trade Deadline when he did a conference call With the media while he was scouting Somebody in Paris somebody he may not End up having the ability to draft but I Think a lot of us think of this season As a Um a reason to reset and really build Around lamello I thought that you know If if I were the general manager I would Have tried to make more trades at the Deadline I'm not sure I would have been Successful based on what I had to work With but I really viewed next off-season As a reset and I don't think Mitch Cub Check views it that way so I learned That I think in his mind this isn't as Off track as many of us believe that it Is I think that in terms of free agency
This is a conversation for another Podcast probably but that they would Probably look to add miles Bridges back Into the fold and there you go there's a 20-point a game score back in the mix And then you add in layer into that a Lottery pick probably and hopefully a Pretty good one uh and you know I think He really likes Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward as much as fans may not like you Know maybe the players but definitely Not the contracts we'll see about Gordon Hayward because he is going to be on an Expiring deal And he's certainly not the player of the Caliber that thought they signed but in Mitch cup check's mind and if he's gonna Get these next two years on the Extension I don't think he thinks the Hornets are As off track as as we all kind of view Them to be It's strange because I look at you know The Hornets fan frustration with Mitch Cupchak and typically when I see fans of An NBA team upset with their GM it is Because of what that GM has done you Know signing players that that GM Shouldn't have signed or making deals That that that GM shouldn't have made Deals on but all the frustration seems To be around what Mitch cup check has Not done I I do think that fans feel a Little bit gaslit I mean they feel like
Hey I can see that this isn't working Why can you not admit that this isn't Working and I think a big reason why is Because they feel like that they have a Little bit of a a glitch in The Matrix In that they are in the driver's seat to Resign miles Bridges when that uh when That NBA investigation is over and I Really feel like there's a feeling Within the organization that hey we can Have our cake and eat it too we can be Bad enough to get enough of a chance at One of those top four pigs it's an Amazing draft from really I think one to Five like if you get to six that's Trouble you know but but one to five You've you've got a pretty guaranteed Good rotation player maybe All-Star and If you get Victor obviously it's it's Game changing so they think they can do That and also you know maintain Competitiveness next next season So it'll be interesting to see um it'll Be interesting to see if they can make All of that work what I've learned in This pre-all-star break period Is that Steve Clifford's a really good Coach and I sort of knew that from his First stints and and you know when he Was uh fired by Mitch cup checking Company the first time you know I really Felt like you know Steve Clifford good Coach uh did his best to try to revamp Things and and Rich Cho didn't do him
Any favors In terms of the players that they were Able to acquire and and make happen and You know as time ran out but he's a good Coach but honestly like what he's been Able to do this season just in terms of Keeping the team together I cannot Believe that they're still this Competitive after so many losses you Look at so many other teams that would Have endured what they've endured in Terms of injuries and in terms of losses And I just think he's been able to Balance like the the criticism that Tough thing that you have to do as a Head coach is like criticism trying to Install you know some fundamental Principles but at the same time Understanding that there are some things Outside of your control I think he's Done a fantastic job and and I think It's going to benefit them in this post All-Star break period yeah absolutely I Mean you can only really point to very Small slivers of time this season where The team just didn't have it in them to Compete and I don't think you could even Go as far as to say they gave maybe a Quarter here a half there but then they Come back out the next game when you Least expect it and give Denver a game For you know three or four quarters so Uh that in itself has been impressive Given you know what they've gone through
And and obviously the fact that their Season was all but over really by the New year and you know kind of Engaging lamello and keeping him him Engaged and and Steve Clifford has Pointed this out the last few nights About lamelo's defense he thinks has Even improved recently so Um yeah Alyssa it didn't didn't strike The balance that we all thought it would The the offense and the shooting has Obviously dipped way down uh that would Be a concern for me going forward but 10 Factor injuries into a little bit of That it has been better lately Um and you know the defense under a Steve Clifford coach team has not been As good as I thought it would be but Again look at what they're dealing with And you know I anytime I've discussed Steve Clifford and his future here I've Kind of you know been not sure if he'll Be back next year but it doesn't really Have anything to do with him as a coach It's more about where the franchise is At and potentially hitting that reset Button but you know based on what I Heard from Mitch cup check the other day I'm not sure that'll happen and I think Steve Clifford would be back yeah I Don't think they're going to hit the Reset button I'm with you and if you're Not going to hit that reset button There's no point in taking a chance on
Finding a coach that may or may not work With lamelo ball we know that Steve Clifford and lamelo ball work well Together because we've heard it from Lamelo ball and we've heard it from Steve Clifford so we know that those two Guys get along they they think the same Way and there's buy-in across the board And I think all the players get it too They get that this season has been Cursed and so they don't really put a Lot of blame on this season on anything But but just dumb luck of of players Getting injured in some weird ways so so I think you're totally right about that I'll say the final thing that I learned And and I'll give you a chance if you've Got something else that you've learned From this period is that The Hornet's Fundamental problem the problem that They've had for many years Still Remains They we just talked about sort of their Mental toughness their resiliency but They're not physically tough I mean That's just bottom line like there's Maybe you maybe name two players on this I mean dsj I put dsj in the tough Category in terms of defensive toughness But also just physicality like I'm gonna I'm gonna you know I'm gonna go hard to The rim I'm gonna take whatever contact You got and I'm going to go after you on The defensive end and make some contact Too like there just aren't many of those
Types of players so if they're looking You know to work around the edges next Season I feel like they've really got to Look hard at all these players and and Figure out you know how they can add Some of that physical toughness Physicality to this team Yeah I've learned uh I guess real quick They've drafted too many projects in the Last couple of couple of drafts I I do Like Mark Williams though I think he's He's better than a project player but Um you know to have two lottery picks in One year like Kai Jones and James Booknight that just it just doesn't feel Like obviously it doesn't feel like James book Knight is going to work out Here I have big hesitations about Kai Jones working out here and I thought This would be a big year for his Development and I was hoping to see a Big jump but Um that's that's troubling and that's Concerning and it it it's tough when you Go over two and one Lottery The book knife thing is brutal I don't Know if you saw the there was a video of A recent G League game in which he Shoved the player in the back and got Ejected Um so like that's that doesn't seem to Be the kind of thing that a player does When they are on the verge of making an NBA I can't even call it a comeback
Because he's never been there if you Will Um so yeah I mean I I'm trying to think of a bigger recent Bust than book night if he never makes The rotation again but I can't I really can't think of it that's Amazing to think that that might be the Biggest of a lot of draft Disappointments in in Hornet's history Especially recent Hornets history Yeah book Night may take the cake it's It's really disappointing to see yeah It's sad and yeah and he's not even you Know being that bust at the NBA level I Mean this is all happening in Greensboro At this point yeah yeah all right well We uh will be back tomorrow with David Walker to talk all hopefully Walker male Too to talk about I'm not mad I'm not Bitter uh Side of the screen really well ah thank You I appreciate it oh Nick you're so Sweet Um but I I do mean this from the bottom Of my heart if he's on WFNZ today I'm Going to be upset and also if you hear Him on wfnc here's what I want you to do I want you to get on the WFNZ uh text Line and just text in all caps hooky Just text it over and over spam the text Line with hooky let him know uh what you Think about him not being on the locked On Hornets podcast today but I do
Appreciate Nick for joining me fantastic Show tomorrow we're gonna have David Walker we're going to talk about the All-Star break it's David's favorite Time of year so make sure you're tuning In for that and also uh thank you for Making lockdown hardest you first listen Today make your second listen game to Game NBA every moment every top Performance every result locked on game To game covers every game from across The NBA with local analysis that only Locked on can deliver follow game to Game unlocked on NBA available on the Odyssey app YouTube and wherever you get Your podcast for Nick Carboni I'm Doug Branson saying go Hornets go America Enjoy the All-Star break let's warm Charlotte [Music]
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