Charlotte Hornets Offseason Analysis: On the Road to Relevancy?

Written by Dylan Hunter Carter

It has been a struggle for the Charlotte Hornets’ fan base to watch their team lose over the past decade. North Carolina is undoubtedly a passionate basketball state with notoriety coming from their various NCAA titles and as Michael Jordan’s home state. The Hornets once shared the notoriety of the state in the days of Alonzo Mourning, Larry Johnson, and Muggsy Bogues; although those days are long gone. The Hornets now spend their days as a middle of the run team in the weak Eastern Conference.

After a season in limbo, missing playoffs but also missing out on a top 5 draft pick, the Hornets seem to be ready to take a step into relevancy. General Manager Richard Cho made some under the radar moves with the Trail Blazers and the Thunder to increase their young core. The team acquired Jack of All Traits, Nicolas Batum for Noah Vonleh and Gerald Henderson. They also acquired UConn alumni Jeremy Lamb for Luke Ridnour. These trades bring athleticism and versatility to a team who is still learning what their play style should be centered around.

Now in a contract year, veteran bigman Al Jefferson is expected to make a big impact on the team after an unfortunately injury plagued season. Jefferson was fantastic in his first two seasons with Charlotte, even making his way onto the All NBA 3rd Team. Jefferson’s experience and his vast skill set in the post can be a huge asset for the Hornets as they attempt to develop young bigmen Cody Zeller and Frank Kaminsky.

Kaminsky was drafted with the 9th pick in the draft back in June. He had a great 4 year career with the Wisconsin Badgers, but many people questioned the Hornets’ choice due to his lack of athleticism. Kaminsky had an impressive Summer League and shut down those who questioned his abilities. Kaminsky is also an impressive shooter which is important with the change of pace that the Warriors have brought into the NBA. Kaminsky is very capable of coming into the NBA and making an impact on his team. The main issue that the Hornets face is that they have a plethora of bigmen and not enough impact coming from the wing.

Kemba Walker, coming into his 5th season in the NBA and has subtly made a huge impact on the Hornets. Walker has become the definite point guard of the team and a clear leader for younger talent. At 25 years old, Kemba Walker has already brought him team into the playoffs and is easily averaging 16.3 points for his career. Walker’s biggest issue in his young NBA career has been health. Walker has struggled to keep his knees and legs healthy over the past few seasons. With Walker fully recovered after undergoing surgery in January, the Hornets have potential to improve exponentially.

Although they lost Bismack Biyombo to the Toronto Raptors in Free Agency, the Hornets had successful offseason. Although his stats over the past few years suggest otherwise, Nicolas Batum is still an incredibly effective player and will help Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson to lead this team back into the postseason. The Hornets haven’t won a playoff series since 2002, and with a weak Eastern Conference, this is the Hornets’ time to shine.

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