Who will be on the floor for the Charlotte Hornets in crunch time?

Matt Alquiza | Sep 25, 2024

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Charlotte Hornets

The 2023-24 Charlotte Hornets were abysmal in close games. The NBA defines "clutch moments" as the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the score is within five points. In 35 games that fit that bill last season, the Hornets finished with a 15-20 record, tied with Brooklyn for the seventh worst ledger in the league. Anecdotally, it felt more often than not that Charlotte found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory instead of the more desirable opposite option.

Charles Lee's biggest test in Charlotte will be finding the right mix of players to close games. The Hornets have four players that are locked in to 80% of the five man lineup. LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, and Mark Williams will be on the floor when games are close. However, that fifth rotation spot is up in the air. We took to X last Wednesday evening to poll our followers on who should be on the floor with those four to close games, and the majority of voters chose veteran forward Grant Williams.

Who will be the fifth man in a healthy Hornets lineup in a close game? Assuming Ball, Miller, Bridges, and Mark Williams are locked in
— Charlotte Hornets On SI (@SI_Hornets) September 18, 2024

Williams makes a ton of sense as a closing option. He'd bring a steady, veteran presence to a group that needs it. Also, Williams physicality and, let's say, ability to stir the pot with the opposition, would be complimentary to Mark Williams more mild-mannered attitude at the five. Grant Williams on the floor would allow both Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges potential size advantages over their matchups, raising the Hornets' defensive floor with those five.

The runner-up in our X poll was swingman Josh Green. The Australian native brings recent NBA Finals experience to a generally inexperienced Charlotte roster that hasn't won a playoff series in decades. Green is only an inch shorter than Grant Williams, but he's more of a perimeter player, whereas Grant Williams plays more of a Draymond Green-style, showing comfortability banging in the post with players much bigger than him.

The difference between Green and Williams on the floor is truly splitting hairs. Both would give the Hornets real positional versatility, with Williams offering more interior presence vs. Green's perimeter-oriented game. The duo shoot similarly from deep, but Green offers more juice off the bounce vs Williams propensity to play inside out. However, there is one main difference in their offensive game that favors Williams when contests are tight.

Williams' slight edge

According to StatMuse, NBA players shoot free throws at a 77.8% clip in the 2020s. In 2023, Josh Green shot 68% from the stripe, while Williams knocked down his freebies at a 76.5% rate. Again, splitting hairs here, but in tight NBA contests (which the Hornets seem to find themselves in often), every point matters.

If it were up to me, I'd have Grant Williams closing games to start the season. It will likely be matchup dependent, with Lee choosing to opt for either Williams or Green depending on the opponent's finishing lineup, but for me, Williams' size on defense trumps Green's positional versatility in the early aughts of the season.

Williams' slight edge

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