The Charlotte Hornets are coming off their best regular season since the team moved back to North Carolina. There is a level of optimism surrounding this team, but Hornets fans might want to temper their expectations. Charlotte brought back several key pieces from last year’s roster but failed to make any substantial additions to a team that finished sixth in the Eastern Conference a year ago. With a number of non-playoff teams primed to take a step forward following busy offseasons, the Hornets could find themselves on the outside looking in.
Offseason Changes
Charlotte’s biggest offseason additions include Roy Hibbert, Ramon Sessions and Marco Belinelli. All three will provide a veteran presence but they will have a difficult time replacing the departed Al Jefferson, Jeremy Lin and Courtney Lee. In particular, Lin and Lee were a little bit underrated while Jefferson provided a steadiness at both ends of the floor as a veteran big man. Sessions can fill the backup point guard role that Lin presented, but Sessions is a step down. He’s not a sparkplug like Lin was. As for Belinelli, he’s also a downgrade over Lee as he’s older and more one-dimensional. Although Jefferson was often injured and a declining asset, Hibbert is already in full decline. He’s on his third team in three years, which tells you all you need to know.
The bottom line is that while the offseason additions will be important, the Hornets aren’t any better as a team based on the moves they made.
Strengths
Kemba Walker has emerged as a talented NBA point guard that can create for himself and there is no reason to expect a drop off in his production this season. The key for Charlotte will be how those around him perform as they once again rely on productive seasons from talented veterans like Nicolas Batum and Marvin Williams. The Hornets did a good job to keep both Batum and Williams in free agency, and they’ll be counting on them as well as the return of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. He’s essentially their big “add” as he missed most of last season as the team finally made the playoffs.
Former first-round picks Cody Zeller and Frank Kaminsky provide an interesting blend of youth and talent up front but one of them has to emerge and prove that they are starting quality. They will be relied on to carry the load in order to prevent a player like Hibbert from getting more minutes than he can handle.
Weaknesses
Hibbert has looked out of place since he fell off big time in the 2014 NBA playoffs and he is the most obvious downgrade as he replaces Jefferson. Meanwhile, Sessions can score but he doesn’t make others better the way that Lin does on a consistent basis. Charlotte downgraded at both positions and it will be that much more significant if they are forced to deal with injuries. Walker is able to hold his own in terms of creating for himself but the Charlotte Hornets would benefit if he could do a better job creating for his teammates.
The biggest weakness on this roster is that none of their high first round picks in the front court have really panned out. Kaminsky and Zeller look so-so, and the Charlotte Hornets need them to be All-Star caliber if they’re to move up the ranks. It’s hard to see that happening.
Outlook
After finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference with 48 wins, the Hornets will have a difficult time trying to get back to the playoffs with a number of teams looking to challenge for those final spots. Chicago, Washington, New York and Orlando all finished outside of a playoff spot a year ago and all four teams should be improved enough to think they will be in the mix. Meanwhile, Charlotte appears poised to take a small step back following a return to the playoffs a year ago. The Charlotte Hornets have some intriguing young pieces but there is a strong likelihood they take a step back after failing to upgrade the roster this offseason.
Prediction: 4th in Southeast Division; 10th in Eastern Conference
