It’s fair to say that the Charlotte Hornets could be forgiven for being slightly distracted given their recent trade drama with the LA Lakers.
The two teams have agreed to a trade that was due to see Hornets center Mark Williams head to the Lakers in exchange for Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish.
While the move looked to be done a later issue in Williams physical saw the Lakers pull the plug, the star himself has questioned whether that was the true reason.
Teammate Miles Bridges has revealed how the side has welcomed Williams back following his dramatic week.
As always happens the Hornets and the Lakers met in the first game back after the All-Star break, and Williams certainly showed what the Lakers had missed out on.
He dropped 10 points and had 9 rebounds in the 97-100 victory where LaMelo Ball shone with his 27 points.
Hornets coach Charles Lee has explained how Williams has come back ‘ more focused’ in what can only be a good thing for the side.
And teammate Bridges has now revealed how the team have welcomed their star center back into the fold.
Bridges said: “Mark (Williams) is like a brother to us, just welcoming him back with open arms and letting him know that he’s wanted here.
“That’s the biggest thing—him knowing that he got a home here in Charlotte, and he’s gonna continue to play and give his all to us.”
Following the expected exit of Williams, the Hornets moved quickly to bring in wantaway Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic.
The Bosnian became the first player since 2018 to drop 0 points while dropping an otherwise impressive stats line against the LA Lakers.
With Williams missing for the 129-115 defeat to the Denver Nuggets, Nurkic was given a start in which he quickly showed his worth with 9 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists.
While neither Williams nor Nurkic will want to play second-string they could dovetail with each other nicely especially considering Williams’ injury worries.
