Charlotte Hornets Team by Team

 

 

Season Record: 62-20 good for the 1^st seed in the east

 

Season Highlight:

The Hornets had another fantastic season under the direction of GM Craig and young superstar Luka Doncic.  

 

The Hornets were a beacon of continuity that saw the team only make 2 trades the entire season.   This continuity is a large factor as to why the hornets were seen as the team to beat out east all year and were constantly being chased by other east powerhouses.  Having secured homecourt advantage for the first three rounds of the playoffs, the Hornets looked poised to make a genuine run at a title!  The other major highlight for the Hornets has got to be seeing Luka Doncic grow into a superstar, Luka looks like a player who is more than capable of carrying this franchise for 10+ years with ease.

 

Season Lowlight:

I think this one goes without saying unfortunately.  Getting bounced in the first round is always going to be tough but finishing as the 1 seed and then having an early exit is tough to swallow.  The Hornets drew a challenging opponent in the Chicago Bulls in the first round who have their own superstar in Anthony Davis.  There�s really not much more to say here as I know this probably already burns Craig, I believe Craig will come roaring back next season with a vengeance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Trade:

Well believe it or not there was only two trades made all year, so I�ll choose the one I like more of the two.

 

 

Charlotte Receives: Eric Gordon

Charlotte Sends: Joe Ingles & Yuta Watanabe

 

This trade made complete sense for both sides; Craig needed a body to fill the void left by the Joe Ingles injury which therefore gets the nod for being the better of the two trades made by the Hornets.  Eric Gordon was more than serviceable in his time with the Hornets.

 

Worst Trade:

 

Charlotte Receives: Mason Plumlee

Charlotte Sends: Serge Ibaka & a 26 second rounder

 

I don�t think this is a bad trade for Charlotte at all, just like it a little less than the earlier mentioned trade.  Plumlee is a more than serviceable back up big man and filled that role nicely for Craig and his Hornets.

 

Star:

 

I mean, it goes without saying right? It�s Luka Doncic.  This kid is a straight up superstar both in 2k and the NBA and the best part being he�s only 23 years old.  Coming off a season where he put up an efficient 29.7/8.1/5.4 line on 52/40/88 splits, Luka looks set for an even bigger season in 2022/23 and would have to be considered one of the front runners for the MVP award come seasons end.

 

Other Key Players:

 

The Hornets have several noteworthy players on their roster. 

 

Chris Paul:

The Point God, Chris Paul needs no introduction.  This man is one of the most prolific play makers we have ever seen pick up a basketball, you add a guy like that to a team that has Luka Doncic and it�s no wonder they ended up the 1 seed out east last season and will challenge for that position this coming season also.  CP3 averages on the year were 15.2/2.3/5.9 while also picking 1.4 pockets per game. 

 

Javale McGee:

Is there a better �Glitch Big� in the game than Javale McGee? This dude was a walking double double this past season while also bringing elite shot blocking and vertical spacing.  The absolute perfect fit for a pair of play makers like Luka and CP3, Javale walked into 12.5ppg, 13.7rpg 4 of which were offensive rebounds all while swatting 2.3 shots per game.  Javale is an unrestricted free agent this coming offseason and I�m sure there will be some heavy points thrown his way with those eye-popping numbers.

 

What�s Next:

The Hornets have a few pieces of business to take care of to solidify their roster as well as doing some salary cap gymnastics, such as re-signing Chris Boucher, although I believe he is set to return with an added bonus, he got paid a pretty penny this offseason, making the salary situation a bit tighter in Charlotte.  Nicolas Batum also looks poised to return to after re-signing with the clippers in the NBA, again the bonus will go Charlotte�s way here and I imagine Craig will re-sign Batum even if it is a little expensive at 11m per year.

The biggest question for Charlotte this free agency will be what do they do with Javale McGee?  Do they prioritise their big man over one of the above-mentioned players? Do they let him walk and go for a different target?  No one but Gm Craig knows and if I know one thing it�s that Craig will have this all planned out to a T for all different scenarios to shake out.

 

Final Thoughts:

Coming off an incredible regular season and somewhat disappointing postseason I�m sure Craig will have had plenty to think about this Off-Season and will be all guns blazing this coming season.  The east is an absolute bloodbath and I think the Hornets are one of those teams that will be near the top of the conference yet again.