NBA Offseason: Projecting Lineup Position Battles

Apr 2, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Charlotte Bobcats center Cody Zeler (40) is defended by Philadelphia 76ers forward

(21) during the first quarter at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Charlotte Hornets- Power Forward (Noah Vonleh vs Cody Zeller) & Shooting Guard (PJ Hairston vs Gerald Henderson)

While the Hornets are certainly one of the better young teams in the league and had a successful last season, they are one of the few teams in the league with starting lineup battles at multiple positions. The Hornets rookies (Noah Vonleh & P.J. Hairston), are expected to play big roles this season and for that reason, they will be heavily considered as starters. While Coach Clifford will certainly get tempted to start sharpshooting rookie Hairston over Henderson, who isn’t better than average at really anything, he will give the veteran the edge. Henderson is an average defender that averaged 14 points and 4 rebounds last season. I won’t be surprised if Hairston is starting by the season’s end as the Hornets lack three point shooting in the lineup as small forward Kidd-Gilchrist can’t shoot and Henderson isn’t the answer (35% from three on limited makes).

The second position battle will be harder to predict as both players involved have been top 10 picks the last two seasons. You would think Cody Zeller, (4th pick in 2013) has the edge as he is in his second season and was a top five pick last year, but that is not the case. I believe Vonleh projects as a better rebounder as he has more physical tools and more offensive skill will have the edge. Vonleh has more shooting range than Zeller and is a better ball-handler. The one edge that Zeller has on Vonleh (6’10”), is with his height as he is a seven footer, but that shouldn’t matter too much when you have one of the best bigs in the NBA in Al Jefferson. Expect the two young players to basically split the minutes and eat up some of the minutes when Jefferson is out, thanks to Josh McRoberts signing with Miami.

Winners- Henderson & Vonleh