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The Charlotte Hornets have dismissed head coach James Borrego, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. Borrego led the Hornets back to the play-in tournament this season but got bounced in the opening game of the East bracket against the Atlanta Hawks.
Charlotte is dismissing coach James Borrego, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 22, 2022
Despite the Hornets having a superb offense behind a three-guard system featuring LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges and Terry Rozier, the team simply didn’t make enough strides defensively or in the postseason to justify Borrego retaining his job. Ball is a star in the making offensively, so that could’ve been seen as a positive for Borrego. Ultimately, the results in his fourth season were not acceptable for Charlotte’s front office. Borrego finishes 138-163 as a head coach in Charlotte.
It’s unclear where the Hornets will turn to next, but there will likely be an emphasis on the defensive side of the ball. Charlotte ranked 25th in opponent points per game, 22nd in defensive rating, 20th in opponent field goal percentage and 28th in opponent 3-point percentage.