The Hornets are bad. Fitting. Just like every other Charlotte professional sports team.
Are they actually bad though? Possibly. I mean, they did have the third worst record in the NBA last year. But Lamelo Ball missed 60 games last year, and Mark Williams missed 63. Even if two of their top four players missed the majority of the season, so what? Two players can’t make that big of a difference, right? Well, we can’t forget about Brandon Miller. The rookie phenom was still developing last year, and, at only 21 years old, he continues to rapidly grow his skillset.
When looking at the Hornets on paper, they have more than enough talent to compete for a playoff spot. The third worst record from last year is more than a bit deceiving.
Charlotte’s offense looks to be incredibly explosive this year, with Lamelo Ball leading the way. Ball is an elite shooter and distributor, shooting 35.5% from behind the arc last year, and averaging 8 assists per game. His unique skill set and size cause so many problems for defenders, as they’re not used to guarding a 6’7” player with his quickness. Although Ball has already been in the league for 4 years, he’s still very young at 23 years old, and can continue to improve. If he settles down a little this year and doesn’t try to force shots for himself, he could have an All-NBA level year.
Ball will have lots of help taking the load off, as second year player Brandon Miller who had a fabulous rookie campaign, looks to take a huge step forward in his sophomore season. The sharpshooter averaged a quiet 17.3 points per game, and looked absolutely unstoppable some nights, like against the Cleveland Cavaliers, when he scored 31 points and made 7 of his 13 three-point attempts. Him and Lamelo form an excellent one-two punch of outside shooting and lanky athleticism, and will be a problem for defenses all across the league.
As a third option, the Hornets have Miles Bridges, one of the most athletic and explosive players in the NBA. The high-flier has led the Hornets in
scoring in the past, and shows an ability to take over games when necessary. When Bridges’ three point shot is hot, he is impossible to stop, a fact that he showcased in back to back games against the Lakers and Raptors, dropping 41 and 45 respectively. Bridges is a constant energy boost for the team, as his powerful dunks get everyone fired up.
Off the bench, the Hornets are led by Tre Mann who put up 11.9 points a game last year. Mann will serve as a ‘captain of the bench,’ likely leading them
in points and assists. The 23 year old tore it up during the preseason, averaging 16 points per game while shooting 47% from three point range.
However none of that matters if the team doesn’t work together to improve on defense. Mark Williams and new Hornet Josh Green will help with that but the X-factor is their new coach Charles Lee. Lee has been preaching defense and team bonding since the day he arrived at the Hornets facilities. While some coaches don’t back their words up with actions, Lee is not one of them.
During the NBA Summer League, Lee made the entire Hornets roster go to support their young teammates, an anomaly in today’s NBA. Their support seemed to have helped as the Summer League roster went 4-1, a marked improvement from earlier years.
Additionally, Lee has emphasized Lamelo Ball’s need for defensive improvement, as he believes that at his size and athleticism there is no reason why Ball is not an outstanding defender. To catalyze this change, Lee often has Ball do individual defensive drills during practice while the rest of the team works on offense. His actions show a true desire to help his players which will be crucial in fighting for a playoff spot.
Despite all this, the Hornets still finished 3rd from the bottom last year. The additions should help but it is extremely hard to make a turnaround from bottom of the league to competing in the playoffs in one year. A 8th or 9th seed seems reasonable for the Hornets this year, but there is a very broad range of possibilities. If Lee can help the team bond and play to their potential, the Hornets could be as high as the 4th seed. If not? It might be back to the bottom once again for the Charlotte Hornets.
