Published on: Oct 19, 2022 7:38 pm IST|Updated on: Oct 19, 2022 7:38 pm IST
SAS vs CHA Dream11: The NBA Regular Season has already begun and the last year’s finalists the Warriors and the Celtics won their opening game in big ways. This will be another thrilling season with multiple contenders vying to get to the top while some mid to low tier teams still figuring out what course they have to turn to in the long run. One of the team that has entered the rebuilding phase San Antonio Spurs will meet the exciting offensive unit of the Charlotte Hornets.
The Spurs haven’t been a top-eight level team in the NBA for some seasons now and their decision to ship away DeJounte Murray denoted that they are building upon a new set of players. Let us see if they can even win 25 games this season.
The Hornets were effective in the last season but only in parts and failed to develop a cohesive unit. Despite having multiple shot-creators and playmakers, they have faced trouble keeping up with elite teams and their defense needs to take a big turn for them to get in the top-six rankings in their Conference. Host: San Antonio Spurs Visitors: Charlotte Hornets Match Timing: 20 October, @ 05:30 AM Venue: AT & T Center
Spurs: Unload and Reload Without DeJounte Murray, the Spurs look like a below-par NBA squad. They lost their leading assists maker, scorer, defender, and just a well-rounded all-around Star. Now that he is gone, the major ball-handling load will shift upon Devin Vassell, an exciting young Guard. Keldon Johnson can have a career year as he can end up being the primary shooter for the team and he has been an efficient knockdown shooter. What about the defense though?
Jakob Poeltl is a hard screen-setter and that will help the cause. Tre Jones has shown a lot of promise, especially as a playmaker whereas rookie Jeremy Sochan can help the defensive end with both his foot speed and length, however, his offense is likely to be limited. Meanwhile, Josh Richardson can create offense off-the-dribble while Joshua Primo can lodge big minutes off-the-bench. Doug McDermott can nail the long-ball but overall, the Spurs are highly inexperienced to eke out even a Play-in spot.
Hornets: Loaded offense The Hornets were lodging big offensive nights last season and they proved to be a team that can deploy multiple options on the offensive end. Still, the main factor was LaMelo Ball who pushes the ball relentlessly and can both score in multiple ways and can also throw difficult passes. Terry Rozier is a dynamic scorer too whereas Miles Bridges was growth is a big factor in why the Hornets were a loaded team with consistent flow of offense from the guard to wing positions. With him gone, the team can be in a bit of disarray after also missing Miles Bridges.
Gordon Hayward is a significant contributor but the former All-Star player has been grappling with too many injuries. The bench is led by Kelly Oubre Jr., who can shoot the long ball but he can be inconsistent during certain windows. The team will be without Ball for a few games but they have the offensive options to pick up the slack, but his absence will hurt them. The Hornets’ defense let them down last season and they will need more on that end, way much more!
San Antonio Spurs News
Spurs Expected Starting Five
Forwards: SF: Keldon Johnson | SF: Jeremy Sochan Middle: C: Jakob Poeltl Guards: PG: Tre Jones | SG: Devin Vassell
BENCH: Doug McDermott, Josh Richardson, Keita Bates-Diop, Isaiah Roby, Joshua Primo, Dominick Barlow, Gorgui Dieng, Romeo Langford, Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley, Jordan Hall. Charlotte Hornets Team News
Hornets Expected Starting Five Wing: SF: Gordon Hayward Big Forward: PF: PJ Washington Middle: C: Mason Plumlee Guards: SG: Terry Rozier | SG: Cody Martin
BENCH: Kelly Oubre Jr., Theo Maledon, PJ Washington, Jalen McDaniels, Dennis Smith Jr, JT Thor, Kai Jones, Bryan McGowens, Nick Richards, James Bouknight, Mark Williams.
Devin Vassell(SAS ) Devin showed scoring promise last season but now the defenses will be glued to him even tighter as his last season’s backcourt mate DeJounte was traded. I expect him to be in 16-22 points and 4-6 assists range.
Terry Rozier(CHA) Rozier is a superb scorer who can both dip in outside strokes while also performing tough drives. He is a more-than-handy dribbler and can also dish assists at a decent clip. I expect him to be in 20-26 points and 4-7 assists range. He can be selected as a Star/Pro Player in the Dream 11 NBA Fantasy scenario.
Keldon Johnson(SAS) Forward Keldon has a beautiful shooting stroke and he was making shots consistently last season, his rebounding is promising but can be inconsistent but it will be the defensive end where he will be evaluated closely. I expect him to be in 18-25 points and 5-8 rebounds range.
Gordon Hayward(CHA) Gordon is a wing who can read the floor well but injuries have derailed his career and his production can be affected due to that. I expect him to be in 15-21 points, 4-7 rebounds, and 4-6 assists range.
Tre Jones(SAS) Jones is a brilliant passer whose long-range shooting will determine what production the Spurs get on the offensive end. I expect a 13-19 points and 5-9 assists range.
PG: T Jones SG: T Rozier(SP), J Richardson, D Vassell SF: K Johnson(PP) PF: G Hayward C: J Poeltl, J McDaniels
How will it be when Terry Rozier presents the Spurs’ defense with a lot of different moves? Will we see Keldon Johnson get off for a big night? To watch the game, visit the NBA League Pass. To get the highlights, the official YouTube channel of the NBA. For news, scorers, and stats, you can go to the official website of the NBA.