J.T. Thor Has James Borrego's Full Attention

Thor could be a big piece of the puzzle moving forward for the Hornets.

At one point during Saturday night's game against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Charlotte Hornets were trailing by 35 points. Nothing was going right for them. Shots weren't falling, the ball was being thrown all over the place, defense was getting pounded inside, and there was a lack of energy.

Early in the third quarter, the Hornets started to turn things around on the offensive end. Terry Rozier and LaMelo Ball both heated up from three and did a good job of finishing through contact at the rim. Momentum truly started to swing in Charlotte's favor in the fourth quarter when head coach James Borrego threw out a brand new lineup, hoping to continue to close the gap. The lineup? LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier III, J.T. Thor, Montrezl Harrell, and Mason Plumlee.

"In the second half of a back-to-back, I was really proud of that last group in the fourth quarter," Borrego said. "Their effort, their energy turned that game. I think Trez, Mason, and J.T. Thor turned that game just with their energy. We had never run that lineup out there before. They had never played together. They just played hard and competed."

Harrell had a phenomenal game and really became a go-to guy for the Hornets in the paint. As well as he played, there was one guy in particular that really caught Borrego's eye - J.T. Thor.

"He was the ninth man we had in the rotation and you never know. We tried the other group, the first eight, and I told JT to stay ready. He found his way to impact this game. He's got my full attention right now. I love his length, his size, his instincts, his defensive tenacity. Even the first play I put him in the game they tried a lob and he just deflected it and I think he got a foul on the first play. But he's at least participating on the weak side trying to make a play at the rim, never giving anything easy. I'm looking for that. If he can sustain that, there's minutes there for him, clearly. I thought he played poised, yet aggressive at the same time."

Thor finished the game with two points, two rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block. He may not have lit up the stat sheet in any one area but he did a little bit of everything, especially on the defensive end. His length and athleticism are what allows him to be so disruptive defensively. With Gordon Hayward likely out past the All-Star break, Thor will continue to get opportunities in the coming weeks. 

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