The Hornets 2012-13 debut this season was more of the same in the sense of the overall result — and yet anything but in every other.

Yes, much like many, many games last season, New Orleans played nip and tuck with a well-regarded foe before failing to close the deal. The San Antonio Spurs did exactly what NBA fans have grown accustomed to over the last decade-plus — break down a foe down the stretch thanks to its brutal efficiency and sensational execution.

Yet, indeed it was the Spurs, who pulled off many of the same moves against the Thunder a night later in a dramatic victory. No more was expected of the Hornets, and in fact, a lot less was by most, given the experience disparity between the teams and the absence of the Hornets top scorer, Eric Gordon.

I thought the Hornets would struggle mightily to score without Gordon’s services. But they exceeded my expectations thanks to a few extremely noticeable upgrades from the 2011-2012 team.

1. This team is very long, very young and very athletic. Adding a “freak” like Anthony Davis to the mix obviously upgrades anyone in this department. But Al-Farouq Aminu looked tremendous at small forward — he finally looked like a guy who was selected in the top 10 of the NBA Draft two years ago. Greivis Vasquez is a big point guard, while Austin Rivers is no smurf himself. The Hornets forced 15 turnovers — no easy feat against the Spurs — and scored 19 fast break points.

2. Bigger is better … and the bigs are better. Last season, despite the absolute lack of legitimate scoring options, I thought the Hornets were able to stay competitive in most games because they played hard and they had solid size. Chris Kaman, Jason Smith, Emeka Okafor (for a brief period), Carl Landry and Gustavo Ayon are all legitimate NBA bigs.

This year, that group now reads as Anthony Davis, Ryan Anderson, Robin Lopez and Smith. That group is significantly more skilled than the previous one and a lot better defensively (factoring out Okafor).

3. This team can shoot from the outside. Anderson is one of the league’s premier shooters, and that he doubles as a big man is such a huge boon — he spreads the floor out for everyone by taking a big out of the middle. The additions of Roger Mason and Darius Miller help in that regard. And while he doesn’t boast 3-point range, Smith’s continued development has also been a big help, as his range extends beyond most bigs’. If and when Gordon gets back and healthy, that becomes more of a factor.

4. Anthony Davis. 21 points in his debut against Tim Duncan … it tells us that Davis’ preseason offensive showing likely wasn’t any kind of fluke. All of those coaches and analysts saying that Davis was more offensively skilled than he was asked or allowed to show on a loaded Kentucky squad look dead on. If Davis can score as efficiently as he did in the opener — 21 points on just 12 shots — the Hornets will hover around that last Western playoff spot all season long.

 

Some other random NBA thoughts after a few games:

Houston’s James Harden and Jeremy Lin backcourt is Team Vengeance. Both guys were dealt from their teams for apparently purely financial reasons, and both moves were incredibly unpopular. Harden dropped 37 points and 12 assists in his Houston debut, while Lin played well too … Houston might have pushed themselves into the postseason mix in a crowded West.

Utah is a team nobody is talking about, but they’ve got perhaps the league’s best front court from top to bottom, and they added sorely needed help along the wings. Last season, the Jazz were a team that couldn’t shoot. This season, those bigs like Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap are going to feast with more room to operate.

The Lakers are 0-2. I think they’ll be fine in the long run IF Dwight Howard progressively gets healthier. His back problems are still hindering him. I will say, though — getting Steve Nash was a waste if he’s not going to be the team’s dominant ball handler. Nash is a pretty bad defender and if you aren’t maximizing what he gives you on offense — which, historically, is the league’s best offensive team or close to it — then amazingly he might become something of a negative.