Three takeaways from the Hornets' first game of the season

The Charlotte Hornets started off their season in the right direction on Wednesday night with a 110-105 win over the Houston Rockets.

The Hornets trailed by as many as 18 points in the first half and it looked like a comeback was out of the cards. However, a second-half masterclass on both sides of the ball got the Hornets to 1-0 start the season.

Let's take a look at the big three key takeaways from this game.

No. 1: LaMelo Ball's Competitive Edge is at All-Time High

LaMelo Ball proved a lot of doubters wrong. Most of the talk around Ball recently has been questioning how he doesn't impact winning basketball and how he's all about the "stats," but that couldn't be farther from the truth.

Ball scored 34 points to go with 11 assists and 8 rebounds, while shooting 10-20 from the field and 10-10 from the line. Ball became the first Hornet ever to achieve 30 points and 10 assists in the team's opening game.

These statistics didn't even tell half the story of how well Ball played in the game. The 23-year-old was all over the court as he was locked in offensively and defensively. Ball has always been competitive, but his competitive spirit in this game was a notch higher than fans have seen before, which kept the Hornets afloat when they were down.

If Ball can keep this up, which he likely should, he will undoubtedly get the attention of all the doubters and make them eat their words.

"He's the engine for us."

- Coach Charles Lee after LaMelo Ball's 34-pt, 11-ast night in the @hornets win pic.twitter.com/VwNjfWiOCr
— NBA (@NBA) October 24, 2024

No. 2: Tre Mann Early 6th Man of the Year Candidate

Well if there's one thing that Tre Mann showed tonight, it was that the preseason was not a fluke. Mann had an impressive preseason as he was able to showcase his skills averaging over 16 points game on 60.0% shooting from the field.

With Brandon Miller going out in the second quarter with a hip injury, it provided an opportunity for Mann to get those minutes. Mann, without a doubt, took advantage of those minutes, as he collected 24 points and 6 rebounds on 8-16 shooting from the field. Mann came to be important down the stretch as he accumulated nine of his 24 points in the fourth quarter.

If the Hornets didn't have the impact that Mann had in this game, then there was a very high chance the Hornets wouldn't have won the game. Mann fell nothing short of expectations as he continued to prove how underrated of a player he is. It seems the league/media is beginning to take notice of what the 23-year-old guard can truly do on the basketball court.

Tre Mann = Sixth Man of the Year super sleeper

24 points in 29 minutes tonight

Hornets put the ball in his hands down the stretch and he helped lead a big comeback W vs. the Rockets.

Not a fluke either. Averaged 16 PPG in 20 MPG during preseason. Has had plenty of other high… pic.twitter.com/ExpBnbIWoQ
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) October 24, 2024

No. 3: Charles Lee's Coaching Adjustments

The Hornets looked bleak in this game in the second quarter to be truthful. In fact, there's a good chance that many people turned their TV off at some point, but Charles Lee's confidence with the players never faltered. Lee's coaching in the game was just the icing to the cake to why Jeff Peterson hired him as head coach.

The Hornets were getting dismantled by Alperen Sengun and the Rockets on the boards in the first half and it looked as if the Hornets had no answers. In the first half, the Rockets had 11 offensive rebounds and 31 total rebounds, while the Hornets had six offensive rebounds and just 23 total rebounds. Sengun had also added 19 first half points with 13 rebounds.

Well, it's safe to say that Charles Lee found an answer at halftime, as the second half was a completely different game. The Hornets out-rebounded the Rockets 33 to 12 in the second half. The Hornets also limited the Rockets to just five offensive rebounds, while the Hornets had nine offensive rebounds in the half. On top of that, Sengun had just six points and five rebounds, while shooting just 33.3% from the field in the half.

The switch that Lee made was putting Grant Williams on Sengun, while having Nick Richards or Moussa Diabate as backup options in the paint if Sengun got past Williams. That adjustment proved to be a game-winning move as it was a vital reason the Hornets were able to slow down Sengun and prevent the offensive rebounds or second-chance points.

A lot of credit has to go to Williams' effort on the defensive end and Richards', who had a better second half. Overall, it was a quick look into how much of a difference maker that Charles Lee already is for this Hornets squad as he's able to make winning adjustments while keeping the teams' spirit going while losing.

I mean what better way is there to get your first official win as head coach?

No. 1: LaMelo Ball's Competitive Edge is at All-Time High

No. 2: Tre Mann Early 6th Man of the Year Candidate

No. 3: Charles Lee's Coaching Adjustments

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