James Borrego has had enough. No ‘God-given right’ to minutes for any Hornets player
If the players in the Charlotte Hornets rotation don’t change soon, their minutes will.
Coach James Borrego has lost patience with his team’s lax defense. He said repeatedly following practice Tuesday that if he doesn’t see marked improvement, he’s going to shake up his lineup.
“You have to value your time on the floor. This isn’t a God-given right to step on the floor and just go through the motions,” Borrego said in response to his lineup.
The 6-12 Hornets have lost five in a row heading into Wednesday’s home game against the Detroit Pistons. The primary flaw has been defense. Borrego didn’t specify which players might lose or gain minutes, or if he’d implement changes Wednesday. But he couldn’t have been more direct — consequences are coming.
“If you’re not doing your job, if you don’t have great effort, if you’re not engaged from Minute 1, then I need to make a change — bring someone in off the bench or make a lineup change,” Borrego said.
Borrego is in his second season as an NBA head coach. He wasn’t reluctant last season to make changes — the Hornets started 12 different lineups — but Borrego and some of his players said he was probably too concerned with keeping every player happy as a rookie head coach.
Borrego told the Observer in September he didn’t view it as his job to consider contracts, salaries or where a player was drafted in doling out minutes. With All-Star Kemba Walker’s departure to the Boston Celtics, general manager Mitch Kupchak said in the preseason no current Hornet deserves automatic playing time.
Borrego went into this season leaning toward playing young guys in close calls. For the most part, he’s done that, starting rookie P.J. Washington and second-year players Miles Bridges and Devonte Graham. He has balanced that by bringing veterans Marvin Williams, Bismack Biyombo and Nic Batum off the bench.
When asked what options he has to shake up this rotation, Borrego said he isn’t reluctant to experiment deep into the roster if someone isn’t performing.
“We’ll just go down the line until we find a rotation that works. If you’re not ready to go one night, then next man up,” Borrego said. “As we said to start the season, no man has earned every minute of every game. You’ve got to go earn your time. To stay on the floor, you’ve got to produce.
“If you’re not, then I’m going to move to the next guy.”
Borrego has already shifted his rotation some over the first 18 games: He plugged in second-round rookie Cody Martin as a midsize defender. Martin’s minutes receded when Batum returned from a fractured finger.
Also, Borrego started third-year pro Dwayne Bacon at shooting guard, but Bacon struggled, particularly as a shooter. After Bacon missed two games with a sore right knee, he has not returned to the starting lineup and has played little in the past four games.
Zeller’s hip
The Hornets are listing starting center Cody Zeller as probable to play against the Pistons after he aggravated a left hip bruise in Monday’s loss to the Miami Heat. Zeller sat out most of the second half.
Zeller said he originally hurt his hip in a fall against the Pistons on Nov. 15, then another fall in the first half Monday left him too injured to play.
“I had to weigh in my own mind, ‘Is it beneficial for me to be out there, or just hurting my own team?’ ” Zeller said of sitting out the second half.
Zeller sat out practice Tuesday and was getting ice and heat treatments.
“We’ll see,” Zeller said when asked about playing Wednesday. “It’s pretty sore but it’s just a bruised hip.”
Washington’s lull
Washington, a lottery pick out of Kentucky, has tailed off the past five games after a spectacular start to his rookie season. After averaging 15 points and 30 minutes in his first seven NBA games, Washington has averaged 5.6 points and 18 minutes in the last five.
He has started all 18 games.
Washington said he doesn’t feel he’s wearing down, hitting what’s commonly called the NBA’s “rookie wall.” Washington said he loves playing basketball every day, and welcomes the heavy minutes he’s logging.
This story was originally published November 26, 2019 at 4:30 PM with the headline "James Borrego has had enough. No ‘God-given right’ to minutes for any Hornets player."
