NBA Rumors: Charlotte Hornets Coach Steve Clifford is planning on playing both Jeremy Lin and Kemba Walker together
After a disappointing season last year, the Charlotte Hornets are looking to hit the reset button. With a roster littered with new players, the team will hope to resuscitate its playoff aspirations.
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It appears as if one of the new strategies that coach Steve Clifford will employ is playing both Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lin together. That’s right…the two guards will be playing simultaneously on the court.
Per Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, Clifford seems extremely interested in the two playing minutes together.
"Q: You’ve said you’re intrigued by the potential in playing point guards Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lin together. Can you describe your vision for that combination?“It’s always good to have two pick-and-roll players on the floor. That way you can put pressure on the defense at one side, then switch it to the other. That makes more room to play similar to how Golden State does. You’ve got Steph (Curry) on one side, so defenses have to load up there, and then you’ve got Klay Thompson on the other with room to operate. That’s what Kemba can do for Jeremy and Jeremy can do for Kemba.”"
The strategy certainly doesn’t come without some intrigue. For a team who has completely struggled offensively, this could be a combination that could give some life to the Hornets corpse of an offense.
The Hornets have finished in the bottom half of the league the past two seasons in offensive efficiency and points per game. They sunk to a new low last year with an offensive efficiency (97.6), which was the 27th worst in the entire NBA.
That could be the lone positive that comes out of the idea. In 2013-14, the Hornets (then the Bobcats) were a surprise team and finished as a 7th seed in the East. A major part of that was their success defensively. They had the 5th best defensive efficiency in the NBA (103.8).
Neither Walker nor Lin are stellar defenders. Both are also too undersized to guard the majority of shooting guards in the league. This could lead to a far departure from a key to the Hornets past success.
Another issue is that Clifford said he envisions the two playing as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson do. The problem is neither player offers the shooting that the Splash Brothers can provide. Walker (30%) and Lin (37%) are not light out shooters, so the attempt to duplicate Golden State’s success is hard to see becoming succesful.
Not to mention that the rotation could become an issue. After trading for Nicolas Batum and Jeremy Lamb and signing Michael Kidd Gilchrist, playing two guards could limit the amount of time the new additions could see. You also cannot forget the army of big men on the roster (Spencer Hawes, Al Jefferson, Cody Zeller, Frank Kaminsky, Tyler Hansbrough).
Add all of this up and it leads to a clogged rotation. Maybe Lin and Walker could work in small doses, in times of desperate need. With so many new players and pieces it will be interesting to see what the Hornets are able to achieve this season. There is talent on the roster for sure, but who knows if that translates to success.
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