The good news for the Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets is that they are identifying areas to address right away this season.
The teams meet Monday night in Charlotte while trying to get in a groove.
The Hornets will end a season-opening, three-game homestand hoping to take a winning record on the road. Meanwhile, the Nets are winless in their first two games.
In Friday’s loss to the Detroit Pistons, the Hornets’ Nick Richards, Mark Williams and P.J. Washington combined for eight rebounds. It is far from what the team needs.
Through Saturday, the Nets were only one of five teams without a victory. They’ll need clutch moments much like they’ve seen from their first two opponents.
The Nets lost by one to the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers and by five on the road against the Dallas Mavericks. There was improvement, according to Vaughn.
Cam Thomas has averaged 33 points per game, nearly twice as many as anyone else on the Brooklyn roster. But his work is needed on defense as well.
Charlotte will be Brooklyn’s second stop on a four-game road trip.
Dennis Smith Jr., who played 54 games for the Hornets last season, will be back in his home state but he has played only 12 minutes per game with the Nets. Terry Rozier moved to seventh on the franchise’s all-time scoring list, sitting at 5,322 points after Friday’s loss to the Pistons.
