Hornets: By the Numbers

By michaelpellissier on November 14, 2012 • ( 1 )

The Hornets, sans Eric Gordon, are an impressive 3-2 following a tough opening schedule. The season is very young, but Al-Farouq Aminu and Anthony Davis are already exceeding expectations, and the additions of Ryan Anderson and Robin Lopez have helped bolster what is arguably the deepest frontcourt in the NBA. What other changes have helped the Hornets achieve early success ?

Hornet team ranks are indicated in parentheses. Also, as the Hornets have only played 5 games, these numbers are certainly subject to change.

Pace
What it means- Pace is a measure of how many possessions a team uses per game.

Correlation to Success- There is no direct relationship between pace and success in the NBA, but the raw number/rank is instrumental in helping to understand a team’s style of play. The higher the pace number, the more quickly a team plays. The Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, and Boston Celtics all finished in the bottom 10 in pace for 2011-2012, yet each team made the playoffs. Conversely, lottery teams such as the Sacramento Kings, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Washington Wizards, Phoenix Suns, and Golden State Warriors all finished in the top 10 in pace last season, yet none of those teams made the playoffs.

Hornets’ Pace, 2011-2012: 90.7 (30th)
Hornets’ Pace, 2012-2013: 91.5 (30th)

What it means: the Hornets employed the slowest pace in the league last year, and nothing has changed so far. It appears the Hornets will continue to play a slow game this year.

Offensive Efficiency
What it means- Offensive efficiency refers to the amount of points a team scores per 100 possessions. It is a more accurate reflection of a team’s offensive ability than a point average, because even average offenses can put up lots of points if they run fast-paced offenses.

Correlation to Success- High. This is fairly self-explanatory: teams that generate efficient offense are almost always good, and if they aren’t, then they likely have atrocious defenses.

Hornets’ Offensive Efficiency, 2011-2012: 98.3 (26th)
Hornets’ Offensive Efficiency, 2012-2013: 97.4 (23rd)

What it means: The Hornets are less efficient on offense this year. However, this number is likely skewed by the Hornets’ embarrassing offensive performance against the Philadelphia 76ers. Most teams are less efficient at this point in the season because of chemistry issues and rust.

Defensive Efficiency
What it means- Defensive efficiency refers to the amount of points a team gives up per 100 opponent possessions. Obviously, lower numbers are better.

Correlation to Success: High

Hornets’ Defensive Efficiency, 2011-2012: 102.3 (16th)
Hornets’ Defensive Efficiency, 2012-2013: 95.9 (7th)

What it means: Anthony Davis, Robin Lopez, Al-Farouq Aminu, and Jason Smith are largely responsible for the increase in defensive efficiency. The Hornets have been very good at contesting shots this year, which is an area they struggled in last year. The increase in blocks per game (from 4.8 to 7.0) has been a welcome change. The Hornets’ guards have not been good defensively, and this is unlikely to change: Vasquez is slow, Rivers is inexperienced, and Roberts is tiny. Nevertheless, the Hornets’ defense has been good, and it has been fun to watch them stifle opponents.