South Charlotte Today

The Charlotte Hornets are focusing on improving their performance in recovering 50-50 balls, a crucial aspect of basketball where two teams have an equal chance to gain possession of a loose ball. This initiative is led by the team's first-year head coach, Charles Lee, who aims to shift these odds more in favor of his team.

Last season, the Hornets ranked low in recovering loose balls, with statistics placing them near the bottom of the league. However, they showed better efficiency when considering recovery rates rather than raw counts. Currently, the team has improved significantly and ranks fourth in the NBA for loose balls recovered.

Cody Martin leads the Hornets with nine recoveries this season, followed by LaMelo Ball and Grant Williams. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the league with 13 recoveries.

Forward Miles Bridges highlighted Coach Lee's influence: “Coach Lee is doing a great job telling us to be more assertive... That’s the mindset he’s trying to instill on us.”

Lee explained their approach: “Drill-wise, you’re not able to go at 100 percent speed... We like to be relentless and do a lot of different stinger drills we call them.”

Winning possession battles is vital as it provides more scoring opportunities. The Hornets have already played several close games this season and improved their offensive rebounding from last year.

Deflections also play a role in increasing defensive chances for loose balls. Last season's data showed that deflections correlated with winning games for Charlotte.

Veteran guard Seth Curry emphasized: “If you can get yourself two, three, four or five more possessions a game... That’s the energy we want to bring every single day.”

Coach Lee concluded by stressing mentality: “They want to win so bad... It doesn’t guarantee a win but it helps put you in the best position.”