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#26 in the LBB end of the season team rankings...
It’s strange times when I feel optimistic about a Hornets team, but with Michael Jordan’s reign of error mercifully ending and the team looking like they really hit with drafting Brandon Miller, this is a group that has a lot of upside. Now, that is very contingent upon health and what this new regime does this offseason in terms of Miles Bridges, as well as the matter of seeing just what type of coach first-year man Charles Lee is. But the Hornets made some good moves at the trade deadline in offloading Terry Rozier and getting Grant Williams from Dallas (still not a fan) and seem to have a clear sense of intention for the first time in 15 years (Jordan purchased the franchise in 2010).
#26 Charlotte Hornets
Record: 21-61 (tied 27th); 13th in the East; 97.82 Net Rating (22nd); 108.6 Offensive Rating (27th); 119.2 Defensive Rating (29th); -10.6 Net Rating (30th)
Total Salary Cap Allocations: $146,578,568 (30th)
Cap Space: $-5,578,568 (1st)
Current Roster: LaMelo Ball, Leaky Black, Marques Bolden, Seth Curry, Tre Mann, Cody Martin, Bryce McGowens, Vasilije Micic, Brandon Miller, Aleksej Pokusevski, Nick Richards, Nick Smith Jr., Grant Williams, Mark Williams
Key Free Agents: Miles Bridges (Unrestricted), J.T. Thor (Restricted – Team Option)
Single Word Description: Chrysalid
Biggest Positive: Brandon Miller. While Chet and Wemby were the rookies getting most of the ink, Miller was a stud in his own right this season for a Hornets team that relied heavily on him after a season-ending ankle injury felled LaMelo Ball and the organization dealt Terry Rozier to the Heat. By the end of the season, Miller was second on the Hornets in minutes per game (32.2), usage (23.9%), and points per game (17.3), and he led the team in games played (74) and three-pointers made per contest (2.5). In many other rookie seasons, he would have been a heavy contender for Rookie of the Year, but he’ll have to settle for being in pole position for the second-best player in what looks to be a deep ’23 draft class. Miller’s offensive game really blossomed as the season progressed. He’s a three-level scorer whose combination of athleticism and shot-making projects favorably as a perimeter complement to LaMelo Ball’s drive-and-kick game. As impressive as his offensive game was, the effort that Miller put in on the defensive end, where his length and lateral quickness make him a stout defender when he locks in, were great signs regarding his toughness and competitiveness. A lot of young players in the league, Miller included, cite Paul George as their favorite player growing up, though few of them have the combination of size, athleticism, and skill to actually pull off the impersonation. With Miller’s multifaceted abilities, the evidence of this adoration is admirably painted all over his style of play. The Hornets were maligned by many—myself included—for not just taking Scoot Henderson and figuring it out, yet for what may have been the first and last time during the Jordan era, the Hornets identified the right player for them and look to have nabbed a potential superstar in Miller.
Biggest Negative: LaMelo Ball’s Contract (5 yrs., $204,450,000). When healthy, there are few players in the league more exciting than Ball, especially when considering that he’ll still only be 22 at the start of his fifth season in the league next year. Yet, health is the problem, as Ball has only appeared in 56% of the games the Hornets have played since making him the 3rd pick in the 2020 draft and hasn’t played more than 36 games since the ’22 season. Ball’s contract, which begins at the start of next season, is fully guaranteed and 25% of the cap, meaning that the Hornets have to hope Ball can get back to the form that made him an All-Star in ’22 or they’re stuck with a salary cap albatross. The cap spiking again after the media deal is worked out helps alleviate some of that, and with Ball’s age and talent, the deal is perfectly fine as long as he can play, but that’s a big "if" based on the last few years.
What’s Next: The Hornets have new ownership led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall, a new president of basketball operations in Jeff Peterson, and a new head coach in Charles Lee. With all that change, for a very young team, there are sure to be lots of growing pains, which seems to have been the perpetual reality for the organization since they last made the playoffs in 2016. The biggest matter of business for this new leadership will clearly be the Miles Bridges free agency, which looms over this franchise in a manner that will likely come to define the new ownership and management’s priorities culturally. On the court, Bridges is a talented two-way player who, between his defensive versatility and his ability to shoot and stretch the floor vertically on offense, is a perfect fit alongside Miller and Ball. But the off-court domestic violence issues make him a PR nightmare. (Allow me to editorialize for a minute: As far as I’m concerned, he has no place in the league until it’s clear he has fully honored a process of treatment and rehabilitation. Which perhaps the organization feels he has, but I certainly don’t.) The Hornets put themselves in a tight spot by signing him to a one-year deal last year and allowing him to play this past season because if they let him walk now, after already suffering likely the worst of the public relations issues (fingers crossed), they lose a player that can really help them on the floor while having taken the hit in terms of public opinion. However, if they re-sign him to what will probably be a deal somewhere in the four years for $120-130 million range, the organization has to confront the dual issues of ostensibly condoning his violent history and hoping it doesn’t repeat itself. Considering that outside of the very public assault for which Bridges is currently serving three years probation, he was also involved in another incident in which his child’s mother’s window was smashed, with Bridges allegedly being the culprit, that feels like a very fraught choice to make. The charges were dropped in February for lack of evidence, but the Hornets having Bridges join the team shortly after the incident occurred felt like an indication of where they stand on the matter. Although we will really know based upon where Bridges is playing next year.
The Hornets didn’t have great lottery luck either, nabbing the sixth pick despite having the best odds for the third. In this draft, I actually would be happy not to have to pick in the top-three, as letting some of the other teams make the hard choices on the myriad of players bandied about in those slots actually relieves some of the pressure as you drop lower in the lottery. That being said, Stephon Castle is the player that makes the most sense for me here, as he is the type of physical defender who brings a competitive presence that I think would be a perfect cultural catalyst for a team that needs to feel like they are more serious about the game of basketball on the floor.
What They Shouldn’t Do: If they let Bridges walk, the Hornets could be positioned to have a good deal of cap space available this offseason ($31 million), but for the love of God, they should stay away from D’Angelo Russell. I know that this is a very particular call-out, but on paper, Russell’s shooting and ability to toggle between guard positions would seem a perfect fit for the Hornets, as he could either play alongside Ball or fill in were LaMelo to miss games due to injury. This also just feels like a very Charlotte move—though in fairness, that is based on 15 years of terrible choices under the Jordan regime—but adding a few complementary players like a Malik Beasley, Lonnie Walker IV, or making a run at a young player—Patrick Williams comes to mind—that fits the developmental curve of Ball, Miller, and Mark Williams, would be a much more prudent process.
Is There Hope?: There is, but… With LaMelo, Miller, and Williams, the Hornets have a triumvirate core that I like as much as any young trio in the league, particularly in the way their styles of play complement each other. The injury concerns with Ball and Williams—who has played just 62 games combined over his first two seasons—are major red flags though. Because of the massive organizational upheaval, this season may be as much of a trial balloon as anything, but on paper, this team has enough young talent to be an exciting group next year.
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