{"id":182948,"date":"2026-03-08T07:15:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T07:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/182948\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T07:15:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T07:15:16","slug":"kon-knueppel-brandon-miller-cant-lift-hornets-past-miami","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/182948\/","title":{"rendered":"Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller can\u2019t lift Hornets past Miami"},"content":{"rendered":"

Meaningful games this time of year and the Charlotte Hornets<\/a> haven\u2019t exactly gone hand in hand for the last decade.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s finally changing, buoyed by the Hornets\u2019 resurgence over the past two months<\/a> garnering national attention, and it\u2019s enough to make even the most diehard fan shed a tear or two.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it\u2019s exciting but more than anything, I\u2019m just happy that the guys have put themselves in this position,\u201d coach Charles Lee said. \u201cIt\u2019s all them, their commitment. \u2026 And we just got to keep approaching every day the same way we always have \u2014 not necessarily talking about standings and playoffs and all those things.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust keep grinding, keep our head down. When you do all the things that impact winning, that should put you in a spot to be in that race.\u201d<\/p>\n

After years of futility, that\u2019s exactly where the Hornets are, and on Friday night they got another dose of just what they should expect over the coming weeks in a 128-120 loss to the Miami Heat.<\/p>\n

In seeing their six-game winning streak halted just before hitting the friendly skies for a four-game road trip that tips off in Phoenix on Sunday, the Hornets (32-32) were victimized by Miami in the fourth quarter. Not making enough stops defensively to thwart the Heat while subsequently only hitting 7 of 21 attempts in the final 12 minutes doomed the Hornets.<\/p>\n

Chalk it up as a lesson they hope to learn from.<\/p>\n

\"Charlotte\u2019s Charlotte\u2019s Kon Kneuppel makes a 3-pointer during the first half of Friday\u2019s Hornets-Heat game at Spectrum Center. Jonathan Aguallo For The Observer <\/p>\n

\u201cJust with our individual defense, pride guarding the ball, personally I didn\u2019t do well enough in that area,\u201d Kon Knueppel said. \u201cSo, I\u2019ll take that away for sure. Their zone, I\u2019ll go back and watch that, and just see how I personally and we as a team can attack that better with more determination. Just determining what we want to do quicker, instead of just waiting, being a little tentative, trying to figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lee envisions at least two aspects of necessary improvement.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. 1, just the physicality and the intensity of the game,\u201d Lee said. \u201cWe\u2019ve talked a ton about how meaningful these games are in your last 20, 19 games. And then everyone\u2019s really just like fighting for seeding and fighting to get better and trying to really ramp up their intensity to properly prepare them for a hopeful or potential postseason action.\u201d<\/p>\n

End-of-game execution is the other thing that has to take a leap forward. Against the NBA\u2019s upper echelon, mistakes during clutch time will frequently be exposed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve made a lot of progress, so we just got to keep getting better in that area,\u201d Lee said. \u201cYou come off a game in Boston where you have five turnovers, and then you turn around and you only have 13, but seven in the fourth quarter. It\u2019s going to be tough to win a really tight ball game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are some key takeaways from the Hornets\u2019 loss to the Heat:<\/p>\n

Brandon Miller starts hot, then cools off<\/p>\n

Sizzling probably best describes the offensive run Brandon Miller is on.<\/p>\n

The third-year swingman hasn\u2019t totaled less than 17 points in his last eight games and kept the fireworks going against the Heat. Miller recorded a double-double, pouring in 22 points to go with 13 rebounds, and fell five assists shy of recording his first career triple-double.<\/p>\n

Only eight of Miller\u2019s points came after halftime, though. So what changed?<\/p>\n

Miami\u2019s defensive approach, for one.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think some of it is that zone,\u201d Lee said. \u201cIn the first half they played way more man-to-man. \u2026 A lot of times he\u2019s in that high quadrant, and you\u2019ve just got to make a quick decision. You\u2019ve either got to let it fly or drive it. So, I think a lot of times he tried to make the right plays, but sometimes it doesn\u2019t result in him actually getting field goal attempts.<\/p>\n

\"Charlotte\u2019s Charlotte’s Brandon Miller works against Miami\u2019s Tyler Herro during early first-half action on Friday at Spectrum Center. Jonathan Aguallo For The Observer <\/p>\n

\u201cBut I thought he did a good job of just trying to make other things happen throughout the night. He guarded (Tyler) Herro for a lot of the night, too, so the two-way mindset was definitely there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miller also pointed to Miami switching things up, but knows that can\u2019t be an excuse.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey went to zone the whole game, which they\u2019ve been doing for 10 years now,\u201d Miller said. \u201cJust finding ways to attack the zone, play to our advantages and play the backside action, I think that will help us out a lot with beating the zone.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cThe main thing that will work against that zone is just our pace, not letting them get set up. I feel like we kind of just play with them in the half court to get them set up. So, it\u2019s easy to guard with a 2-3 in the half court. You got two 7-footers in the game. But I think we have to be better with just attacking the zone.\u201d<\/p>\n

LaMelo Ball bodying up<\/p>\n

Noticing a more physical nature from LaMelo Ball this season? That\u2019s not by happenstance.<\/p>\n

Ball isn\u2019t getting knocked off the ball as easily as he has in years past and has found ways to maximize utilizing his wiry 6-foot-7, 180-pound frame more in his sixth season.<\/p>\n

More importantly, Ball made appearance No. 54 of the 2025-26 campaign in the Hornets\u2019 matchup with Miami. That puts him already above the amount of games he\u2019s logged in any season besides 2021-22, when he played in 75 contests and was named an All-Star reserve.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it started for him in the offseason,\u201d Lee said. \u201cHe made it a point to try to put on some weight, understand how people were guarding him, knowing how much physicality he was going to need. I think some of the management that we\u2019ve had around his body, his minutes, him taking more ownership of his routines, has put him in a better position to physically endure the season while also the competition level.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it means a lot to have a player of his caliber that\u2019s willing to bring it defensively with that physicality, but also offensively to use his gravity, use his ability. \u2026 He loves anything he can do to get a teammate open or to help us score. He\u2019s getting better and better at it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Charlotte Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee encourages his team during Friday\u2019s game against the Miami Heat at Spectrum Center. Jonathan Aguallo For The Observer Coby White\u2019s influence<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a distinct difference with the Hornets\u2019 second unit and that has a lot to do with Coby White\u2019s arrival. He\u2019s quickly become invaluable since his insertion into the lineup after nursing a left calf strain following his Feb. 4 trade to his native North Carolina from Chicago.<\/p>\n

White\u2019s knack for remaining unflappable was on display against the Heat, just as it was two nights earlier in Boston versus the Celtics, when he posted five points in the final minute of the third quarter to help the Hornets grab a three-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n

His basketball IQ in regard to end-of-quarter play and late-game scenarios are just some of the vassets he offers up when he\u2019s on the court. He\u2019s capable of running the pick-and-roll, drawing fouls, and facilitating shooters.<\/p>\n

He adds a lot to the Hornets.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. 1, his experience helps,\u201d Lee said. \u201cThere\u2019s been a ton of times where I think that he\u2019s able to just rely on being in big situations. There\u2019s a calm about him. Never rattled. Then he\u2019s able to also vocalize the things that he sees on the floor. And then just his overall competitive spirit, I feel it defensively. His communication on the defensive end of the floor has been really good, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cOffensively, he just has so many different weapons that we\u2019re able to utilize. \u2026 Have loved everything he\u2019s kind of contributed to our team.\u201d<\/p>\n

This story was originally published March 6, 2026 at 11:13 PM.<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Roderick Boone<\/a><\/p>\n

The Charlotte Observer<\/p>\n

Roderick Boone joined the Observer in September 2021 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and NBA. In his more than two decades of writing about the world of sports, he\u2019s chronicled everything from high school rodeo to a major league baseball no-hitter to the Super Bowl to the Finals. The Long Island native has deep North Carolina roots and enjoys watching \u201cThe Fresh Prince of Bel Air\u201d endlessly.
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