With the 2018-2019 season in the books and the departure of Kemba Walker in free agency, fans have mixed feelings and some burning questions surrounding what to expect from the Charlotte Hornets next season. I’d like to offer an optimistic perspective on where our beloved Hornets are heading and analyze some decisions made by the front office that may give us a glimpse of a hopefully bright future.
The big news around the Hornets right now is the loss of All-NBA point guard Kemba Walker, and the subsequent acquisition of Terry Rozier as the Hornets assumed starting point guard. It’s always going to sting (yes, bee puns) when a franchise loses their de facto best player and an all-around elite player. For Charlotte, that negative impact resonates deeper than it might for other franchises because of just how good Walker was, what he meant to the team and the fans, and the lack of established talent behind him. That being said, I don’t think all hope is lost. The frustration some fans are feeling is not unfounded, years of mediocrity, questionable front office decisions, and letting the best player the franchise has ever had walk will do that to a fanbase.
Looking ahead, pivoting into Terry Rozier (affectionately referred to as “Scary Terry”) as our lead man could end up going a lot better than some may expect. Although the price point seems high (he’ll reportedly sign a 3 year/$58 million contract, =19.3 per year) there are some other factors at work that could potentially stave off disaster and keep Charlotte from becoming completely irrelevant in the NBA. One of the positives about the Hornet’s roster is youth. Scary Terry is only 25, Miles Bridges started plenty of games last year as a rookie and he’s only 21. Hopefully the coaching staff leans into the youth movement and feature young guys Dwayne Bacon (23) and Malik Monk (21) at the shooting guard spot. New draftees PJ Washington and Cody Martin are 20 and 23 years of age, respectively. Another player on the roster who could still develop and gain momentum which could lead to more playing time is Willy Hernangomez, who’s also 25. Giving these young players significant amount of run while being led by another younger player who made it to game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals just two seasons ago could establish a blooming chemistry and a solid core moving forward that shouldn’t peak for a few seasons. I would never try to suggest that Scary Terry is a better player than Kemba Walker but when it comes to playoff experience, Rozier has the leg up in that regard.
Another reason the Hornet’s outlook isn’t as dismal as it may appear on the surface is the abundance of expiring contracts on the books this season. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marvin Williams, Bismack Biyombo, and Cody Zeller’s contract are all expiring after this upcoming season. This is almost all of the established veteran core left over from the previous regime, one that is costly and has never found sustained success, at roughly $60 million dollars combined. Freeing up all of that money or potentially finding trade partners that would be willing to give up assets to take on one of those expiring contracts will greatly improve Charlotte’s flexibility and outlook for the future. That’s exciting stuff! Nic Batum and his monster salary will still be around after next season but that’s a whole different story.
Although the way decision makers handled Kemba’s free agency rubbed people raw, I would like to say that I personally feel as if hiring James Borrego as head coach and turning over the entire coaching staff helped the team last season, as they improved Charlotte’s win total year-over-year by 6 wins. That’s a promising fact considering it was a rookie head coach’s first year. The perceived plan of drafting two-way players that can play multiple positions and have a seemingly high knowledge of the game seems like a smart approach to drafting as well. While I think that is a solid approach to the draft, I be(e)lieve the Hornets will have to consider being a little more risky when it comes to free agency and drafting to lift the team up from the doldrums of the Eastern Conference. I like Cody Martin as a player, but not taking a chance on Bol Bol at 36th in the second round of the draft may become a decision that haunts General Manager Mitch Kupchak. Having some money to spend will also improve the chances of making moves when free agency comes around next year, as previously mentioned. Considering this will only be year two of this front office/coaching staff pairing, I think it’s too early to condemn them for the job they’ve done so far, but year two is an important one for the Hornets to prove that they have a plan in place. The Hornets need to figure out something that gets them out of C+ territory when it comes to drafting and the talent level of the roster.
The Eastern Conference figures to be tougher next season than it was this season, couple that with losing an All-NBA talent and you can easily see the makings of a rough season ahead. If Head Coach Borrego can get the young guys all on the same page early, our draft picks prove to be solid contributors, good health (looking at you Cody Zeller), and a little bit of luck happens in Charlotte, the future of the franchise could be a lot prettier than the picture that’s being painted right now. The key is to really focus on the younger players. Both Borrego and Kupchak emphasized before taking over the team that their focus will be on finding talent in the draft and developing players internally. If internal development proves to be a strength of the coaching staff, the Hornets will be heading in the right direction at the perfect time to nail a mini-rebuild as the veterans see less court time and let their contracts run their course. Here’s to hoping!
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