CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charlotte Hornets coach James Borrego told Jeremy Lamb before the season that the team’s starting spot at shooting guard was his – as long as he earned it.
That was all Lamb needed to hear.
Lamb scored 22 points, Cody Zeller added a season-high 19 and Charlotte avenged a loss to Atlanta with a 108-94 victory over the Hawks on Wednesday night.
Lamb is taking advantage of his first real chance for a regular starting job in the NBA, scoring at least 18 points in seven of Charlotte’s past eight games.
“It was huge,” Lamb said of Borrego expressing confidence in him. “You always want your coaches to believe in you, to trust you. He didn’t just give me the spot. He told me I had to earn it. And that’s what I am trying to do.”