Hello new subscribers. Throughout this season, I am running a weekly series in which I look at an intriguing stat or trend that is worth monitoring. This is the third; the first was on the Lakers’ rim attempts and the second was on the Nets’ transition defense.
Gary Payton II had the night’s highlight play on Wednesday with his dunk on Kelly Oubre Jr., so the play immediately after did not get much attention.
Even with the crowd still humming, Charlotte generated a three for PJ Washington. The Hornets run into that Pistol alignment often after a made basket, which makes sense for a team that likes to run its offense early.1 And the Hornets like to get out in transition indeed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hornets rank sixth in the league in points added in transition and only the Minnesota Timberwolves run more off of steals. Charlotte is one of the youngest teams in the league and they like to run.
What’s more interesting is how much early offense the Hornets run off of opponent makes, as in the clip above. NBA.com classified shots attempted within the first 9 seconds of the shot clock as “early” or “very early”. Over the first nine games of the season, Charlotte has attempted 44 shots within the first 9 seconds after an opponent made field goal per PBP Stats. That is most in the league by some distance (Atlanta is second with 33 FGAs). Only the Golden State Warriors (16 FGAs) and Oklahoma City Thunder (11 FGAs) shoot better than Charlotte’s 66% eFG% on those shots. The Hornets are catching opponents relaxing after a made shot, and they are doing so effectively and often.
Slow to get back on defense, or out of position? The Hornets will get the ball down the court quick and find you out. They catch James Harden flat-footed here, forcing him to foul; note that only 4 seconds have elapsed on the shot clock at the time of the foul:
The Hornets aren’t afraid to attack a mismatch in semi-transition as soon as they find one; where some teams might look to settle and slow things down after an opponent make, they are always on the hunt.
A lot of this stems from LaMelo Ball’s advanced recognition, particularly when his man may be a step too far, or back on his heels. At first blush these look like reckless attempts early in the clock, but for a player shooting 40% from three, these are closer to an opportunity seized.
Seeing rookie Chris Duarte on him early, LaMelo keeps him guessing on where the screen is coming from and steps back into an early clock step back three:
Score on the Hornets and they punch right back; they are goldfish. That’s how a poster dunk at one end can be quickly followed by a made three at the other. Charlotte’s halfcourt offense currently ranks fifth in the league per CTG, buoyed in some part by a hot streak from beyond the arc. The latter may eventually regress and with their rim finishing near the bottom of the league, the Hornets may need to continue maximizing semi-transition opportunities to keep their offense riding high.
As a refresher, Pistol is a good way to initiate early offense, particularly coming in semi-transition. There are a number of options and subtle variations in alignment, but central to Pistol is a guard bringing the ball up on the side, with a wing coming up from the corner and a big at either the arc or strong-side elbow. Picture those three players forming a triangle adjacent to the strong side sideline.