Dunlap’s basketball strategies are fairly unconventional for the pro game. His signature was a 1-1-3 man zone defense and his focuses are on extreme ball pressure and creating turnovers. Dunlap aims to get his team’s offense to kick-start in transition.
With this Bobcats team, that’s a good idea. Charlotte’s roster is young and full of athleticism from point guard to center. To beat other teams, the Bobcats must play to their advantages, which will be getting out and running in transition. Dunlap recognizes this and has made it a priority.
It seems like every season that coaches say they’re going to implement more up-tempo offenses. Whether Dunlap will succeed remains to be seen, but the tools are there.
4. A more versatile Byron Mullens
Mullens exploded onto the scene last season, springing from the depths of Oklahoma City’s roster to a prominent role for the Bobcats. He started 25 games with mixed reviews. He can shoot the lights out and finish at the rim, but did little else. He couldn’t defend a lick in the post and was a poor rebounder for his 7-foot frame.
During plays where he didn’t receive the ball with the intent to immediately shoot it or finish a pick-and-roll, he struggled to make decisions and create his own shot. Some of these weaknesses didn’t seem set in stone, though. He has the physical tools to be a decent defender but just didn’t commit himself to put in the effort.
From what we’ve seen this offseason, that seems to have changed. Mullens has taken a shining to Dunlap’s intensity and knowledge. Hopefully this translates to the regular season and we get a Byron Mullens that is much more focused on parts of the game other than when he has the ball.
5. Developing young players
The Bobcats are full of young players just bounding with athletic gifts. Dunlap seems to be a great coaching fit to pull them together and continue their development.
Kemba Walker had plenty of nice moments last season, but what if he has solidified his jump shot? It’s certainly with the realm of possibility. Maybe Bismack Biyombo becomes more of a force on defense. Maybe Gerald Henderson improved his footwork on offense. These guys have some electrifying basketball skills and to see them develop further is something I and all Bobcats fans should be eager to watch.
At the least, the Bobcats will be a much more fun and intriguing team to watch than last season, more than many probably assume. Completely devoid of expectations weighing on it, Charlotte may still be bad. But it has the chance to experiment and possibly innovate.
Season Preview Index
Ben Swanson is the managing editor of Rufus On Fire, SB Nation’s Charlotte Bobcats blog. He also is a student at UNC-Chapel Hill, majoring in journalism and minoring in making jokes on Twitter. You can follow him there at @CardboardGerald.
I understand Sheridan Hoops is writing this for every team, and like Ugh says this must have been a hard write, but Tyrus Thomas? Has he ever put together a string of consistent games past 5-10 in a row let alone a season? I can buy into Kemba, Mullens, MKG, and Biyombo; but Tyrus is Kwame Brown 2.0.
Considering how hard this must have been to write, quite a good article.