Stock up, stock down: Sexton’s second start, defensive woes, Tre Mann + more

The Charlotte Hornets closed their three-game road trip out with a disappointing performance against the Miami Heat on Tuesday night, losing by a whopping 27 points.

As we do after each and every game, it’s time to take a look at the Hornets’ stock report, evaluating some of the best and worst performances of the night.

If there was any concern about the Hornets not being able to replace Brandon Miller’s production, Sexton’s last two performances should give fans a slight sigh of relief. Sure, it would be much easier for Charles Lee’s squad if they had another elite bucket getter out there on the floor, but being able to insert Sexton is a luxury they didn’t have in recent years.

It’s been a rocky start to the season for Mann, but I don’t know that it’s time to sound the alarm just yet. He missed a ton of time last year with the back injury and is shaking the rust off. He’ll shoot his way out of this early slump, but right now, he’s ice cold. In his last three games, he’s shot 4/26 from the field.

Much of his damage came from outside the arc once again, but Knueppel continues to prove that he can be a steady No. 3 or 4 scoring option as a rookie. I’d like to see him attack the rim a little more often, but that will come in due time. The fact that he’s drilled at least three triples in all four games is impressive considering he’s still getting his feet wet.

You can’t be giving up 37+ point quarters, especially not three of them. That’s a recipe for disaster. The more troubling piece of this is that Miami was able to put on this offensive clinic without the services of Norman Powell, who was ruled out with a groin injury just before tip-off. If you’re Charles Lee, you’re hoping this was an aberration and not what the defensive play looks like when not facing teams like Brooklyn and Washington.

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