Hornets' Al Jefferson says he's refusing to get 'picked on' on defense late in games

Last season, the Charlotte Hornets surprised many with a 43-39 record, buoyed in part by the league's sixth-best defense.

That, despite the fact that they employ talented but slow-of-foot center Al Jefferson, who isn't exactly known for his chops on the defensive end. That's something The First Name in Old School Game is hoping to change as training camp opens.

“I refuse to continue getting picked on at the end of games. It’s not fun,” Jefferson said Wednesday. “Last year at the end of games teams always put me in high pick-and-rolls. I got sick of them thinking that was to their advantage, and it was to their advantage.”

It's a testament to the system that rookie head coach Steve Clifford employed that the Hornets nee-Bobcats were able to be so stout defensively despite Jefferson's limitations. They found ways to mask his shortcomings, like having him drop back deep on pick-and-rolls and shifting additional burden on the on-ball defender, and the team allowed just a single point per-100 possessions more when Jefferson played.

Still, opponents were able to take attempts at the rim 8.9 times per game against Jefferson, a top-15 rate, and they shot 52.4 percent, an average mark, once there. Charlotte was also worse defensively in fourth quarters, allowing 1.8 additional points per-100 possessions.

If Jefferson can actually improve in that regard, it's scary to think how good Charlotte's defense could be. Jefferson is already an All-NBA player and top-flight interior scorer, and becoming more passable on defense this season could really vault the Hornets.

"There’s a reason – I’d pick on me too,” Jefferson said. “So I want to take the challenge to get better at that so it’s not an option they always go to."