Lance Stephenson a rebounding machine for Hornets

Shooting must improve, but Lance Stephenson a rebounding machine for Hornets

The NBA season is just over two weeks old, and still new enough for teams to hold off on sounding any sort of emergency alarms if key new players haven’t totally learned to fit in just yet. The Charlotte Hornets are off to a 3-5 start, not quite what they hoped for — but again, it’s very early. New Hornet Lance Stephenson has been shooting bricks, but scoring aside he’s racking up assists, and doing monster things on the glass. Here’s the Charlotte Observer reporting:

The way Lance Stephenson has been rebounding the ball this early NBA season, you’d think he’s trying to make up for something.

Oh, wait. He is.

“I’m just trying to get boards,” Stephenson said at morning shootaround in Portland, Ore., Tuesday. “My offensive game is not coming. I’m working on that, learning how to score in this offensive system.”

Stephenson is shooting just 33 percent from the field in the Hornets’ 3-5 start, but you can’t argue with his contribution on the boards. He’s averaging 10.9 rebounds, 10th-best in the NBA.

His 14 rebounds against the Trail Blazers tied a career high. At 6-foot-5 he is the only guard among the top 19 rebounders in the league – all the others are either centers or power forwards.

K.J. McDaniels playing well for Sixers

K.J. McDaniels playing well for Sixers

Yeah, I know. There is little reason to take the Philadelphia 76ers seriously this season. And naturally a few players will emerge only because, well, somebody has to put numbers up. All that aside, this is still the NBA, and talent will rise. So, meet K.J. McDaniels. Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer:

K.J. McDaniels playing well for Sixers

A growing portion of 76ers fans are wondering why K.J. McDaniels isn’t in the starting lineup.

Understandably so.

The rookie guard has been the team’s most exciting player. Yes, even more exciting than Tony Wroten, who averages a team-best 21.9 points. McDaniels, a former Clemson standout, is posterizing opponents will alley-oop dunks (ask Orlando Magic’s Moe Harkless) and swatting shots into the third row (ask the poor lady sitting in the stands in Toronto after McDaniels’ volleyball spike of Greivis Vasquez shot nearly gave her a concussion). He’s also the team’s best three-point shooter at 42.1 percent.

“It would mean a lot,” McDaniels said of being in the starting lineup. “But I still have to go in there and do my job, you know coming in here, bring excitement either coming off the bench or starting.”

Wizards notes: November 12, 2014

Wizards notes: November 12, 2014

Washington will face Detroit tonight at Verizon Center. The Wizards and Pistons split the 2013-14 season series 2-2. Washington hasn’t won a season series against Detroit since the 2005-06 season when they swept the Pistons 3-0.

With a win tonight the Wizards would improve to 6-2 which would mark their first 6-2 start since the 1975-76 season.

With a win over the Pistons, the Wizards would improve 3-0 at home for the first time since the 2006-07 season.

John Wall averaged 25.8 points and 8.6 assists in four games against Detroit last season.

Wall is averaging 2.8 steals in his last five games.

Paul Pierce recorded his 4,500 career assist in Saturday’s win over Indiana.

Pierce has averaged 21.1 points per game in 52 career games against Detroit.