A System With Teeth

Coach Malik Dawson did not call it a system until the players earned the word. In October, Charlotte had run concepts. In November, they had run hopes. By late January, they ran something opponents had to prepare for. The coaching staff named it Sting, because every assistant in the building had a weakness for obvious metaphors, and because the scheme was designed to irritate first and injure later. Sting began with the ball pressure. Marcus Reed picked up early not to steal, but to angle. Tyrese Grant took the most dangerous wing and denied comfort like it was a personal debt. Luka Petrovic played free safety, reading the second pass.