Yahoo Sports senior NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor is joined by JoeWo to discuss Charlotte’s surprising turnaround this season and why it’s turn into the best statistical lineup in the league. Check out the full conversation on “The Kevin O’Connor Show” and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
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Video Transcript
The five-man lineup of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knipple, Miles Bridges, and Moussa Diabate have the best net rating of teams, of lineups with- Yeah 200-plus minutes.
They have a 136.8 offensive rating, a 107.3 defensive rating.
Number one in the NBA with a 29.5 net rating, ahead of the Pistons, Suns, Wolves, Rockets five-man lineups.
Who could’ve seen this coming this soon, Joe?
Nobody, and it’s funny because for years people And, like, I’d be embarrassed to tell people, like, “Yeah, I’m a Hornets fan,” and they’re like, “Oh, man, ah.”
They, they feel bad.
And now I’m like, finally, finally.
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I’m like, we’re getting a good team, we’re healthy, which has been, I think the number one problem is it’s been tough to, to have a good five-man when every other game, or especially year with Brandon Miller, eh, there’s always something going on.
And now that we have a healthy roster, Charles Lee might be contender for Coach of the Year.
I’ll be like, “Dude, we’re ballin’,” and I’m just stoked, man.
Finally I have a good team I can root for and come on, man, I’m stoked.
I mean, how old are you, Joe?
I’m 28.
So you’re 28.
Basically your whole life, the Hornets have sucked.
They’ve sucked.
The ma- ca- I mean, a couple Kemba years were all right.
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But I think most of the time, anytime I say Hornets and- You know, average.
Average at best, right?
A- a- average, average at best.
And anytime I’ve, I’ve ever said Hornets, people always feel bad, and any game I’ve ever gone to, until I would say, like, this year, I always feel bad for the players ’cause everybody in the crowd is cheering for the other team they’re playing more than the Hornets.
And I’m like, this is terrible, man.
And now we’re finally getting to a point where there’s actual Hornets fans and, and the games are getting packed, and I’m just stoked, man.
Part of the reason for their success is A, they shoot a ton of threes.
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You know, Charles Lee- Yeah was an assistant with the Celtics.
They’re fourth in the NBA in three-pointer attempts, third in the NBA in three-point percentage.
But also another thing, again, like some of these recent champions, the Thunder and the Celtics, that these teams have, the quality that those teams have is flexibility with lineups, but also just creation from all over the floor.
Like LaMelo and Miller and Bridges and Knipple and guys off the bench.
Zion James and Josh Green, all these guys can shoot- Uh- dribble and pass and make quick decisions.
And that’s why I thought earlier in the year the Hornets were one of the funnest teams in the NBA.
They were fun.
They sucked, but they were fun.
They were fun to watch.
And now, and, and they’re, now they’re good and they’re fun.
It’s, it’s translating