In his recent interview with NBA.com, Charlotte Hornets’ coach James Borrego outlined the most pressing needs for the Hornets’ roster. He also referred to the workout program that his players are following during quarantine.
“Rim protection is something we’re looking for. To be a top-level defense in today’s league, you need to have some length and athleticism out there. I do think we’re getting longer on the perimeter, and have some more size and athleticism. We’re looking for another playmaker, a guy that can create for himself and create for others. I think the third piece is just shooting. In our system, we can never have enough shooting. That makes the game easier for everybody when you can space the floor and allow the athletic wings and bigs to attack the rim.”
Borrego, is also expecting some quality young players and much athleticism from the upcoming NBA Draft.
“We have started the process of looking at free agency and the draft. I don’t watch a ton of college or international basketball during the season, so it’s been fun to take a step back and watch a few of these young kids. We’ll have a very good first-round pick, and we’re slotted for an early second-round pick. These are valuable pieces and this is where we turn our franchise. As we study ourselves and the NBA, I can go back and look at some of these upcoming free agents, and at the right time, sit down with Mitch and talk through the draft and free agency. We’ll be able to pull some of the players who fit our system long term.”
As for when and if the NBA season resumes, Borrego doesn’t have much clarity on when things will come back to normal soon but he definitely trusts the process.
“We’ll leave that to the league. I think Adam Silver is looking through all those options right now. Obviously, he has not set a [date] for us yet. I do think we could still see basketball this season. Could we play 17 more games? I don’t know. We’ll just have to let the league dictate that. I’m sure the commissioner has a date in mind, but we don’t know what he’s thinking in that regard. We’ll trust him. He’s on top of it and listens to the experts. I believe he’ll do the right thing by our league making sure everybody is safe and healthy.”
