Charlotte Hornets

Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets' Swarming Defense, Missed Call Costs Team a Win?

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:24 p.m. ET

Fansided, Jerry Stephens/FanSided via Swarm and Sting

Welcome to Buzz City Stings, Swarm and Sting’s daily roundup of the best Charlotte Hornets’ stories from around the web.

Buzz City Stings is your daily destination for the latest and best news from around the internet about the Charlotte Hornets. After losing their fourth straight game to the Boston Celtics, Charlotte’s set to take on the Atlanta Hawks as they close out their five-game road trip. In this edition, we look at the Hornets’ swarming defense, a crucial missed call, and Christian Wood leading the Greensboro Swarm to a win.

Charlotte’s Swarming Defense

“Overall, the Hornets sit at No. 8 in defensive rating, just 2.7 points per 100 possessions behind the league-leading Memphis Grizzlies. So what exactly makes Charlotte’s defense effective? Surprisingly, the Hornets are not elite in deterring opponents from penetrating. Currently, Charlotte gives up about 27.1 drives per 100 possessions, falling right in the middle of the pack for NBA defenses. However, these drives tend to result in kickouts more than shots at the rim, as only three defenses in the league force a higher percentage of passes off of drives. The Hornets’ focus is on condensing around the ball, forming a wall around the lane.” (BBallBreakdown.com)

This is an excellent breakdown of why the Hornets have been so effective at defending since Steve Clifford took over in 2013. Nicholas Sciria explains why Charlotte has one of the best defenses in the NBA. Swarming the paint, switching, and closing out is all key components of the team’s defense and while others have tried to replicate it, not many have succeeded.

More from Swarm and Sting

Missed Call Cost Hornets’ Game Against Wizards?

“Despite nearly blowing a 12-point fourth-quarter lead, the Wizards escaped with a 109-106 win over the Hornets on Wednesday. How did Washington hang on? An officiating error sure didn’t hurt. John Wall should’ve been called for a foul for disrupting Michael Kidd-Gilchrist‘s speed/quickness/balance/rhythm with 59.8 seconds left, according to the NBA’s Last Two Minute Report:” (nba.nbcsports.com)

So apparently in the Hornets’ three-point loss to the Washington Wizards, there was a missed call that went against Charlotte. It may not seem like anything but the missed call with under a minute left in a four-point game could’ve swung the momentum and turned the tides in favor of the Hornets if it was called. It was a tough loss for Charlotte but they might’ve had a better chance to win if the correct call was made.

Christian Wood Leads the Swarm to Victory

“The Windy City Bulls (6-7), presented by BMO Harris Bank, the official NBA Development League affiliate of the Chicago Bulls, fell 124-121 to the Greensboro Swarm on Friday evening at the Sears Centre Arena. The Swarm, the NBA D-League Affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets, improved to 5-9 on the season. The Swarm were led by center Christian Wood who scored a game high 36 points to go along with nine rebounds and five blocked shots. Guards Xavier Mumford and Perry Ellis each added 22 points.” (dleague.nba.com)

The Charlotte Hornets’ D-League affiliate picked up their fifth win of the season behind a career-game from assignee Christian Wood. The big man recorded 36 points, nine rebounds, and five blocks to lead the Greensboro Swarm to victory. His outstanding play is a great sign for the Hornets as his development seems to be coming along nicely. Not to mention, that Xavier Munford continues to be a scoring machine for the team.