What the First Round of the NBA Playoffs Should Teach the Charlotte Hornets

The first round of the NBA playoffs is complete, and let's hope the Charlotte Hornets were watching. They were bounced from the Play-In, thereby removing their chance to learn about the postseason firsthand. But if they watched the first round, they learned some valuable lessons secondhand.

Siza (and matchups) matters

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) drives against the Charlotte Hornets | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Karl-Anthony Towns. Joel Embiid. Rudy Gobert. What do these three have in common? They're in the second round because their team was a nightmare matchup for its opponent, or the opponent just didn't have a matchup for them.

The Atlanta Hawks didn't have the size to deal with Towns, and doubling him didn't remotely work. The Boston Celtics certainly didn't have the size to deal with Embiid (and the Hornets know well that they don't either). The Denver Nuggets couldn't break Gobert's defense or the length and defense of the rest of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Are the 76ers and Timberwolves better than the Celtics and Nuggets? No, they're not. They just had the right matchup or the size advantage. The Knicks are certainly better than the Hawks, but the mismatches Towns created help.

The Hornets knew they needed more size and physicality, and the first round of the playoffs has made that an offseason imperative.

Defense wins championships

Defense is playing a big role in the playoffs so far. The Timberwolves' defense throttled the league's best offense, holding them under 100 points three times in six games. The Knicks' defense led to a 51-point clincher.

The Pistons came back from down 3-1 because of their defense (NBA shooters don't shoot as badly as the Magic did in Game 6 of their own accord). The only reason the Magic were up 3-1 is that their defense is so good. It's also why they beat the Hornets in the Play-In. The Spurs and Thunder dominated with defense.

The Hornets had a really good defense this year. After December 23, which is when Moussa Diabaté became a full-time starter, the Hornets had the fifth-best defensive rating in basketball. Yes, that's with poor defenders LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, and only maybe one or two high-level defenders on the roster.

So this isn't so much an offseason task to complete. The Hornets don't need to get a good defense, but they have to maintain their identity on that side of the ball. Any offseason acquisitions should be made with the caveat that they can't tank the defense. It's far too important, obviously.

Versatility is key

The Hornets are viewed as the baby Celtics. They play the same style, and they likewise often died by the three. The Celtics didn't adopt a new strategy in a crushing Game 7 defeat, shooting 13 of 49 from three. That's something we have seen from Charlotte before.

It made it clear that teams need a second option. When the threes aren't falling, the Hornets have to be able to find ways to score. They need players who can get to the midrange and knock down a shot or drive and draw contact/score. They can't rely solely on threes.

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