Hornets coach says players need ‘multiple weeks’ to get back into shape

FILE – Head coach James Borrego of the Charlotte Hornets talks to his team against the Orlando Magic during their game at Spectrum Center on January 20, 2020 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Streeter Lecka/Getty Images/AFP

Charlotte Hornets coach James Borrego says he thinks some players could need “multiple weeks” to get back into true basketball shape if the NBA decides to return to action this season.

The league hasn’t played games in nearly six weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Borrego says unlike when there was a lockout — and players gathered routinely for five-on-five pickup games in gyms — he knows some players who don’t have access to a court to work on basketball-specific drills.

The Hornets staff is monitoring players and helping them with their conditioning remotely during the lockdown, but Borrego cautions the league needs to be “very careful” not to rush back too soon because “nobody wants to get hurt or injured in this time.”

Borrego says when players return to practice, they’ll be monitored individually by the training staff to determine their physical condition.