Old North Banter
Fansided

Five takeaways from the Hornets’ California road trip

By Luke Tucker

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 27: Cody Zeller #40, Malik Monk #1 and PJ Washington #25 of the Charlotte Hornets defend against LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half of a game at Staples Center on October 27, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 27: Cody Zeller #40, Malik Monk #1 and PJ Washington #25 of the Charlotte Hornets defend against LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half of a game at Staples Center on October 27, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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Charlotte has a plethora of scoring options

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 23: Cody Zeller #40 of the Charlotte Hornets during their game at Spectrum Center on October 23, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 23: Cody Zeller #40 of the Charlotte Hornets during their game at Spectrum Center on October 23, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

As mentioned on the previous slide, the Hornets don’t have a single star. With that being said, there’s not a specific go-to guy on Charlotte’s roster. For years Kemba Walker was that player. Now that he’s in Boston, there’s been a lot of production to replace. As a result, new players have been forced to step up.

Through the first six games, perhaps no Hornet has upped their game as much as Cody Zeller has. The 27-year-old is averaging a career-high 14.0 points per game and also a career-best 12.4 rebounds per game. While his numbers have been far from eye-popping, it’s clear that the Hornets are a better offensive (and defensive, for that matter) team with him on the floor. It’s also worth noting that Zeller has been working on his shooting touch–something that has already increased his value.

Aside from Zeller, the aforementioned Graham, Bacon, and Washington have also been key contributors on the offensive end. Other players, such as Terry Rozier and Miles Bridges, have shown impressive scoring ability, however, they have struggled some with consistency. During Charlotte’s four-game road trip, each contest featured a different high-scorer for the Hornets. Across the four games, nine different players put up double-digit point totals in at least one game. As a result, the Hornets have been able to consistently find scoring threats, even when one of the core members is having an off-night.

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