One staple of the first two weeks of the regular season was Al-Farouq Aminu racing ahead of everyone on a fast break, then collecting a Greivis Vasquez alley oop for a dunk or easy layup. Those kinds of Aminu plays have dried up during this recent stretch, something Hornets head coach Monty Williams attributes to his team’s drop-off in defensive performance. “A lot of what was happening with Chief was off of (defensive) stops,” said Williams, calling Aminu by his nickname. “When you don’t get stops, you can’t get out in transition, run and attack the rim. We’ve given up so many three-point baskets, that it’s hard to get out in transition. I think he does a decent job of trying (to attack the rim) in our halfcourt sets, but teams are playing him for that. So he’s got to look to find holes in the defense and just play.”