With 2020 on the way out and the 20-21 NBA season tipping off, it’s time once again to take a long look at our beloved Charlotte Hornets and what’s in store for them in the upcoming season. Much has changed since the last time Charlotte’s NBA team took the court for a game that had playoff implications, so there’s plenty to talk about. Let’s dive in.
The New Guys: The Hornets roster for this season largely resembles that of last year’s team with a few fresh faces. Anyone who follows NBA basketball probably already knows the two new big names that will now call the Queen City home, LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward. The Hornets landed the #3 overall pick in this past draft and selected the youngest of LaVar Ball’s sons LaMelo, who has undeniable talent as a passer/playmaker and a level of marketability that the franchise has lacked since the departure of Kemba Walker. Drafting a young player with star potential is always an energizing moment for a team and its fanbase, and LaMelo is certainly not an exception. Also in the offseason, Charlotte signed former Boston Celtics wing Gordon Hayward to a four year/120 million dollar deal, one that was largely met with criticism from the sports world and Hornets fans alike. Drafting LaMelo was a no-brainer for Charlotte and since he’s yet to play a regular season NBA game, you won’t see a big analysis here. The Hayward signing is a completely different story, but we’ll keep it short and sweet. First things first, $30 million a year to one player is a massive, massive commitment for any team, no exceptions. Secondly, you have to factor in Gordon’s recent injury history and the fact that Hornets stretched out the final year of Nic Batum’s contract (costing them $9 million a year for the next three seasons) to sign him, so the financial commitment looks even worse. Having acknowledged that there is injury risk and unbelievable financial obligation, I’ll say this: I’m happy that Gordon Hayward is a Hornet. I like this signing. The Hornets want to make the playoffs and stack winning seasons. Gordon Hayward will help them achieve that goal. In 52 games with the Celtics last year, the one time all-star averaged 17.5 points, 6.7 rebounds (career high), and 4.1 assists, shooting 50% from the field and 38% from three. Playmaking from the wing? Yep. Efficiency? He’s got that. Charlotte was not a good rebounding team last year, does he help? Sure does. Playoff experience? Got that too. Look, free agents that check every box aren’t easy to get a hold of, even more so when you’re Charlotte. The front office saw their chance and they took it, I BEElieve (yes, puns) it will pay off. Charlotte also drafted two other players in November, two big men from household name college programs. Nick Richards out of Kentucky and Vernon Carey Jr. from Duke. Don’t be surprised if either of these players start to see playing time early in the season. Starting center Cody Zeller is in the last year of his contract and lack of production from the center position has been a criticism of recent Hornets teams, expect Charlotte to try and find out if one of their rookies can remedy that situation.
Playoffs? Is this the year that Buzz City returns to the postseason? How likely is it that happens? It’s not outside the realm of possibility. Of course, you never know what’s going to happen, but I don’t expect the Hornets to be in the playoffs this year. I do think Charlotte has a fair shot at the 8th seed in the East. If it seems like you’ve heard that before, it’s because you have. The issue is how fierce the competition for that last playoff spot will be. The East got better this year, and mostly at the bottom. Here’s some examples. The Bulls and Knicks both hired coaches with a winning history (Billy Donovan and Tom Thibodeau, respectively). Atlanta added a significant amount of offensive firepower by signing two score-first starting caliber players in the offseason (Danilo Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanovic). The Washington Wizards have paired Russell Westbrook up with Bradley Beal. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving will both be healthy and playing in Brooklyn this season. Going back to last season, the Hornets were 10th in the East and were playing their best basketball when the season was suspended. Two of their last three games were wins against the Houston Rockets and Miami Heat (who went on to be the Eastern conference champions). For the playoff picture to change, the Hornets will need to leapfrog two teams and keep being better than the teams closer to the bottom. The 9th seeded Wizards had won more games but actually had a lower win percentage than Charlotte when the regular season was stopped, so penciling Charlotte in at 9 wouldn’t be a crazy idea if the Wizards hadn’t gotten better which they unfortunately did. The Orlando Magic were solidly in the 8th spot with a good bit of separation from Charlotte and Washington, but I expect them to regress. What the Magic have done recently is very reminiscent of what the Hornets did when Orlando’s head coach Steve Clifford was coaching in Charlotte. They’ve invested heavily into a core of players that made the playoffs, but are no real threat to the better teams in the association (made the playoffs in 2019 at 42-40, made the playoffs in 2020 with a losing record). Steve Clifford isn’t known for making adjustments and the roster construction is highly questionable, so being better than Orlando is absolutely on the table. If Charlotte can outperform the Magic and one of the top seven Eastern conference teams from last year doesn’t find repeat success (Philly or Indiana maybe?), the Hornets then have a path to the postseason. If none of that happens, Charlotte will most likely be 9th or 10th in the conference…like usual.
The X Factor: Devonte’ Graham. I’m glad Graham isn’t getting a lot of buzz (haha) right now. He should’ve been Most Improved Player last year, and he’s the number one reason Charlotte won as many games as they did. With more playmakers around him, and continued growth from the young players on the team, Devonte’ may be a star about to shine.
With 2021 on the horizon, there’s as much to look forward to as ever. Let’s hope it’s a good year for Charlotte Hornets basketball, and all of us. Thanks for reading.
Stats sourced from https://www.basketball-reference.com/
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