Predicting the NBA Eastern Conference standings: Charlotte Hornets
CEILING: Play-in tournament, first round exit
FLOOR: Lottery
The Hornets made some upgrades to the roster, acquiring Mason Plumlee via trade, signing Kelly Oubre in free agency, and selecting James Bouknight with the No. 11 pick in July’s NBA Draft. The Hornets are on pace for a steady, incremental ascent up the Eastern Conference standings. LaMelo Ball is still coming into his own, and Charlotte doesn’t yet have the top-end talent to overpower the NBA’s true contenders.
That said, there isn’t a better League Pass team in basketball. LaMelo Ball is must-watch television, and the Hornets fly up and down the court at his tempo. Charlotte’s front office has done an excellent job surrounding Ball with mobile athletes, vertical finishers, and high-level shooters. Pretty much everyone on the floor can pass, dribble, or shoot, a combination that’s still all too rare in the NBA.
Also, Gordon Hayward missed an extended stretch of time last season. Should he stay on the floor this year, Charlotte will have arguably its best player back in the mix and ready to contribute. Hayward looked much more like his old self before the injury, and should help push Charlotte in the direction of a playoffs appearance.
Charlotte has the depth and the sheer firepower to out-gun and lot of good teams. That said, they’re still woefully inconsistent, with a mediocre defense and too much young talent to fully contend. The Hornets have maintained appropriate flexibility for future growth, but this season will probably mark the beginning of an exciting era — not the peak.