Fast Takes with Fast Break: New York Titans vs Charlotte Aviators
Authors: Brandon Borges and Padfoot
From the outset:
New York Titans face off against the Charlotte Aviators this weekend in the last series for both teams before fighting for the Benepe Cup in a month at championship. With New York dropping the weight in their Boston series and Charlotte picking up speed on their (history making) Washington series in early July, the mental game is an important aspect coming into this matchup. For Charlotte, they’ve locked a better seeding at champs- can they continue to cause a greater upset? Against Washington, they showed that other players can step up, and New York will be good minutes for all of them to face higher competition with the roster for this weekend. For New York, these games are the last piece needed to lock in East Division Champions for another season in a row. Usually, New York is known for being almost unable to take their foot off the gas- but fundamental issues in the Boston series showed an inability to adjust under adversity. When the top line can’t dominate the way they’re expected to- they just try to do it again. If Charlotte can disrupt that first line of offense, it might seal the offensive gap seen in historical results. For this series, and the rest of the season- can New York figure out the rest of the team?
Can the Aviators take flight?
The Charlotte Aviators’ offense looked far more cohesive in their recent series against Washington, a welcome sign for a team long criticized for its half-court inefficiency. Their assist percentage jumped from just 41% against Boston to 57.5% against Washington, reflecting sharper ball movement and better coordination. Caleb Brooks emerged as a critical initiator, effectively jumpstarting possessions, while Zachary Thompson has diversified his approach by facilitating with shorter passes instead of defaulting to deep shots. The cutters around the hoop zone are also moving more decisively creating easier looks in tight spaces. However, they’ll need to pick up the pace against New York’s aggressive beater corps and disruptive triangle-and-one defense, which excels at eliminating the primary passing option and forcing teams to improvise mid-possession. If Charlotte can't accelerate their set offense, they risk getting bogged down by New York's pressure and defensive depth.
Charlotte’s beating was a pillar of their success against Washington, led by the duo of Kody LaBauve and Celine Richard. LaBauve was everywhere defensively, racking up eight stops across the series and continuing to serve as the team’s defensive enforcer. Richard finished with a team-best +4 plus/minus, showcasing their signature game sense and precision in timing beats to control tempo. Together, they enabled Charlotte to implement more varied defenses, including a surprisingly effective marking press that gave Washington trouble. Notably, the pair is not rostered for this series, meaning some new beaters will need to step up. Josh Peck also stood out with his continued high-motor, aggressive play, especially in disrupting opposing beaters early in possessions. But the Titans’ beater rotation is a different beast entirely, with rapid engagements that force beaters into uncomfortable exchanges. Charlotte’s unit will need to adapt quickly, or risk spending more time playing reactive defense than setting up their own control.
The Aviators will also be dealing with critical absences that could reshape the series. Lee Hodge, M.Y. Monawar and Ryan Davis are all out for this matchup. Hodge is particularly valuable for Charlotte’s point defense, using physicality and anticipation to create turnovers at midfield, a role Charlotte struggled to fill against Washington. Monawar’s loss removes a chaser with unique breakaway speed and secondary playmaking, while Davis’s all-around leadership and seeking excellence is difficult to replace. Defensively, Charlotte looked more animated around the hoops last series, with Thompson, Allison Slominski and Carynne White each contributing stops. However, their closeouts on rebounds and second-chance opportunities remain too slow, a weakness New York’s relentless offense is well-equipped to exploit.
There is some optimism in seeker play, though, as Tony Bonadio proved himself a capable flag runner catcher, notching two pulls against Washington. That gave Charlotte a crucial edge in seeker floor minutes, a phase they’ve historically struggled in without Davis. With Bonadio and Davis off the roster, someone else will need to step up in the seeking game. Their fast-break offense also fired more efficiently, capitalizing on turnovers with quick scores. But New York’s chaser corps boasts some of the best tacklers in the league, which could stifle those open-field opportunities. For Charlotte to keep pace, they’ll need to sustain their crisp passing even at full speed, ensuring the ball moves faster than New York’s defenders can collapse.
What is the Titans’ focus?
New York is coming into this season without the roster dropoff that Charlotte’s roster provides. With Aviators missing 7 good players, Titans may decide to focus on clinching the East Division with 100% certainty. To do so, they may continue with the Boston mentality- play the top line, have them flesh out the game, and go from there. The question… will New York use this tried and true method (let’s be real, they still beat Boston)? Or will they begin to look toward next month? The fact is, the Benepe Cup will be 3 games for any top division team to win it all. With a top line that plays around 20 minutes per series, is their plan to play 2 to 3 hours to win it all? Titans need to decide whether they are trading the dropoff once the line leaves for the dropoff of overutilized players. If the hope is for the top line to dominate in moments needed, Titans’ leadership can look to the rest of the team to fill the gaps until the top line can perform again. The reality is, Titans have one of the most veteran rosters available, but they don’t connect like they are. When they’re not connecting, they begin to fail at fundamental passes and scoring that lead to wide gaps in transition play. Will Charlotte be a series to work on building the foundation? Stabilizing the core? Or does that come after the program’s success- which the strongest pieces can provide here.
What do the stats say? What’s coming next?
To be completely honest, the stats historically show that the Titans know how to win. Whether the wins now will make the wins easier later is a question of the team’s buy-in. What will they focus on this weekend, and what will the ramifications be afterwards? They’ll sweep this weekend, and have 3 more weeks to prepare for champs. At this point, their fate lies in the hands of the North Division’s decision for champs. Depending on the side of the bracket they’re on, they could run into different opponents that need different strategies. Different members of their team will need to perform in notable minutes to ease the way for a repeat Benepe Cup. Will the reps to prepare for that come in at practices, or through important minutes against Aviators?
Magic 8 ball time?
New York is a juggernaut, having already notched a 2-1 series win over the Boston Forge and a commanding 3-0 sweep of the Washington Admirals. As Charlotte’s final regular season opponent, the Titans present an imposing challenge, made even steeper without the contributions of Davis, Richard, Monawar and Hodge, just to name a few. More than anything, Charlotte’s focus this series needs to be on avoiding the bad habits that have tripped them up in the past: stagnant half-court offense, miscommunications between chasers and beaters and defensive lapses that allow easy second-chance points. The Aviators have made clear strides, as evidenced by their success against Washington, and they must continue building on those foundations. Tactically, this series is an opportunity to identify and patch lingering weaknesses before heading to MLQ Championships. Morally, it’s a reminder that their best games were balanced, team-first efforts, marked by high assist totals and multiple players tallying goals. That collective approach will be essential if Charlotte wants to keep climbing. New York knows how to beat Charlotte, and the historical record shows it. The real question is, what is the importance of this series amidst the rest of the season? Will they rely on the same strengths shown to win sizeably? Or will they litmus test the rest of the Titans to solidify their strongest 21 for champs?
Padfoot prediction: New York 3 - 0 Charlotte
Brandon prediction: New York 3 - 0 Charlotte
