Suffice it to say few people could have foreseen this coming. Three weeks into the NBA season, the 6-1 Charlotte Hornets own the best record in the East and second best in the entire league. After an off-season in which the Hornets seemingly lost more (Jeremy Lin, Al Jefferson, Courtney Lee) than they gained (Roy Hibbert, Marco Belinelli), Charlotte were pegged for a slight regression this season.
Instead, they’re dominating both sides of the ball, sitting in the top 10 in points scored, shooting percentage, assists, steals, and blocks. And, obviously, they’re winning.
It makes for a tougher matchup than anticipated for the Raptors, who are coming off an impressive victory over Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Starting centre Jonas Valanciunas will likely be sidelined again tonight with a knee contusion that has now kept him out of three games, but for the short-term at least the Raptors reserves are doing a decent job of picking up the slack in his absence.
Currently at 5-2, a Raptors win would mean both teams wake up tomorrow with an identical record and, depending on if the Cleveland Cavaliers win or not tonight, could mean a four-way tie for first in the East.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kemba Walker
The former U-Conn star has been flat-out the best point guard in the conference this season, averaging 23.9 points, 5.6 assists, and 1.9 steals per game thus far. What’s more impressive is his 20-for-46 (43.5 per cent) clip from beyond the arc, a measurable improvement on what has long been on of the biggest knocks on his game. Should Walker remain consistent in his scoring
The Raptors always have trouble containing scoring point guards, and will have their hands full again tonight. Fortunately for the Raps, like Wednesday’s game against Oklahoma City, the Hornets don’t have a whole lot in the way of reliable secondary scoring—especially with Nic Batum’s shooting woes limiting him to just 12.7 points per game— meaning that Walker can go off and Toronto will still have a chance to win.
DeMar DeRozan
…Obviously. The biggest revelation this season for the Raptors is the extent to which, after years of playing second-fiddle to Kyle Lowry (or at best sharing alpha dog status) Toronto has become DeRozan’s team. They still rely heavily on Lowry, who currently leads the NBA in minutes played per game and is posting a career-best (yes, it’s early) seven assists per game, but the club is relying more on DeRozan and his near-historic scoring this season to win games than ever.
The Hornets do sport a really good wing defender in Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, but it’s hard to imagine anyone slowing down DeRozan at this point. The Raptors all-star still comfortably leads the NBA in scoring—34.1 points per game, three more than any other player— and is in total command of his game at the moment, finding his spots in the mid-range and getting to the rim with ease. He’ll be looking to post his seventh 30+ point game of the season in eight games. Unreal.
Jakob Poeltl
The ninth overall pick is expected to get his third consecutive start of the season in place of the injured Valanciunas. He’s been limited to under twenty minutes per game in each of his previous starts, but has shown promise and certainly appears comfortable on an NBA court, even if his numbers won’t pop out.
Charlotte has been without Hibbert, a one-time defensive force down low who, before getting hurt, appeared to be rounding back into form after a very disappointing stint in Los Angeles with the Lakers. Hibbert’s size and presence underneath the basket would likely be problematic for Poeltl, but otherwise he should have a chance for an effective (…dare I say a breakout game?) matched up with Frank Kaminsky or Cody Zeller.
