by Kerem Ozkan

The debut edition of the 2012 New Orleans Hornets competed for 48 full minutes Wednesday night, but ultimately fell just a little short to the always-composed San Antonio Spurs in their season opener at New Orleans Arena. After leading by 7 at the half, they ended up dropping a game that came down to the final minute by 4 points, 99-95. (Box Score)

In many ways, the Hornets’ first game served as confirmation of things we already knew. This is a young squad that will need plenty of time and coaching to gel. We’re heavy of potential and short on cohesion. Even without the enigmatic Eric Gordon,  the offense is filled with overlapping skillsets that fail to mask collective weaknesses.

Some thoughts on individual performances:

• Tim Duncan, arguably the most dominant player of the 2000s, served as a very appropriate foil for Anthony Davis in his league debut. It’s tempting to say Duncan got the edge, but that’s really beside the point. Davis more than held his own in a paltry 29 minutes, impacting the game at every reasonable opportunity. He hit two great long jump shots — and I mean goddamn, it’s obvious that a reliable KG-like jumper could make him unstoppable. Nothing tonight changed the very, very optimistic outlook that NoDef and every other Hornets fan out there has for this kid.
• Al-Farouq Aminu was incredible as long as he wasn’t shooting long jump shots. Most headlines will focus on the incredible dunks, steals, and blocks — which to be fair, were breathtaking — but let’s be real. He scored 17 points on 16 shots, largely because he let a big night get to his head, hoisting shots that have never been part of his repertoire at will. He had a great game, to be sure, but I’m going to dare to expect more.
• Excellent work from Greivis Vasquez, who continues to make a case for himself as a potential starting point guard in the NBA. He’s not there yet, but every team in the league would gladly take the combination of efficient shooting, composure, and 13 assists any day.
• Expect growing pains for Austin Rivers, who went 1 for 9, the only field goal coming on a fast break. I’m going to insist we not jump to conclusions here; the only thing we know for certain is that he is a work in progress.
• Ryan Anderson is just in a funk. I remain unconvinced he’s a good fit in a 6th man role, and tonight didn’t help. 11 points on 10 shots, plus five rebounds for our second-highest player. Not great, but he did notch a +16 in the +/- column.
• Robin Lopez, Robin Lopez, Robin Lopez. Dude looked decent on offense, despite only eight points on 10 shots. He repeatedly took Tim Duncan to the hole, affirming my suspicion that Monty Williams has given him the green light in the early-season. That said, he looked absolutely horrendous on pick and roll defense, often hedging way too hard on the ball-handler. He had every opportunity to succeed in Phoenix, and it’s going to take a lot to make him into a passable NBA starter.