The Charlotte Hornets had a bounce-back season last year, returning to the playoffs, tying three other teams for the third-best record in the East, and taking the Miami Heat to seven games before faltering. After an offseason that saw more key pieces leave than brought in, the question becomes, can they do it again?
2010-2013 was a dark time for the Charlotte Hornets/Bobcats. They were the laughing stock of the league for three seasons until new head coach Steve Clifford rejuvenated the team in his first year, bringing them into the eighth seed of the playoffs in 2014 and putting them on the brink of respectability.
Charlotte hoped to build on that productive year in 2015 when they first became the Hornets again, but it wasn’t to be, as they regressed to a 33-49 record and missed the playoffs.
Finally, last season Hornets fans saw the progress they hoped for after 2014, as Charlotte went 48-34 and just missed out on reaching the second round, losing to Miami in a grueling seven-game series.
So which Charlotte team is the one we can expect next season?
The biggest addition to the 2015-16 team was Nic Batum, one of my favorite players in the league. Received via trade from Portland, Batum stepped in and became a vital cog for the Hornets, providing incredible versatility, defensive prowess on the wing, and a sweet shooting stroke from downtown.
He only had a year left on his contract when he came to Charlotte, but the front office clearly valued his production, as they inked him to a five-year max deal in which Batum will make an average of $27 million per season. The price is steep, but if the Hornets truly want to finally build on their foundation, retaining Batum was a necessary and worthwhile cause.
As DJ Khaled would say, another major key was the development of Kemba Walker into a stud. His 2015-16 season saw him average over 20 points per game for the first time in his career while shooting over 40 percent from the field for the first time since 2012. Walker also raised his three-point percentage from 30.4 percent two years ago to 37.1 percent last year. Walker signed a four-year, $48 million extension a couple years ago, and that is now an absolute steal under the new salary cap, giving Charlotte critical flexibility needed to retain and attract other talent.
Unfortunately, even with Walker’s relatively low-cost deal, Charlotte wasn’t able to retain everyone who made an impact in the success of last season.
Jeremy Lin was an excellent backup point guard for the Hornets, having his most productive year since the Linsanity phenomenon. He emerged as a sixth man, providing a nice spark off the bench as sixth men so often do. The success Lin found in Charlotte enabled him to turn down his $2.2 million player option for this year and enter free agency, where he signed a three-year, $36 million contract with the Brooklyn Nets.
The Hornets’ attempt to replace Lin’s production has been underwhelming. They brought back Ramon Sessions, who had a previous stint in Charlotte. The journeyman point guard does pack a decent amount of scoring punch in his game, but he is always a non-factor from range as his jump shot is poor. Brian Roberts is the new third string point guard, and he offers little upside or current production. Retaining Lin was out of the question as they couldn’t afford to pay him what he would get on the open market, but fans hoping Sessions and Roberts can match Lin’s play are being a little too optimistic.
Another player that left Charlotte in the offseason was Courtney Lee. Lee was an ideal 3-and-D player last season after he came over from Memphis near the trade deadline. However, during free agency the guard signed a big deal with the Knicks, leaving another gap on the wing for the Hornets.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has some of the worst luck in the NBA. Nevertheless, if he can return to full health after a season on the injury shelf he would be help make up for Lee’s absence big-time. But another move was made to address the wing depth at the draft when Charlotte traded the 22nd overall pick to the Kings for Marco Bellineli. It is possible Bellineli can replace Lee’s shooting despite that he’s coming off a bad year in Sacramento, yet he certainly won’t replace the perimeter defense Lee brought to the team. I also value first round picks very highly, and I don’t think Bellineli is worth any first round pick. Still, Steve Clifford said it would take too long for whoever they selected at that slot to contribute, so the mindset of wanting to compete now is clearly in place in Charlotte.
The final piece lost was Al Jefferson. Big Al had an up-and-down tenure in Charlotte marked by a couple injuries, but his ability to be part of a top-notch defense was impressive for a player who’s not really known for their efforts on that end. Jefferson also added a post scoring option, but he moved on to Indiana in the offseason.
Charlotte has young talent that can play at center, but they also decided to take a flyer on Roy Hibbert. Signing Hibbert to a one-year deal obviously negates any risk or concern with him, but it’s been a while since Hibbert was anywhere close to a good basketball player. He anchored the Lakers’ NBA-worst defense last year and shot 44 percent from the field. It’s possible he could find his old All-Star form, but that train has most likely left the station.
The Hornets did sign Marvin Williams to a reasonable deal to retain his stretch-four services, so Batum, Williams, MKG and others should make the wing rotation passable this year. The development of Frank Kaminsky will also be important for Charlotte’s hopes this season, as he along with Cody Zeller with have to compensate for Jefferson’s absence.
The Charlotte Hornets kept their core together this season. They are positioned to stay together for at least a few more years, a period in which they should continue to grow as individuals and as a team. This is why I think they’ll remain in the playoffs this season. However, losing some key role players without finding quality replacements makes it hard for me to see Charlotte moving up the standings or advancing beyond the first round, especially with the improvements that are expected from multiple other teams.
The Eastern Conference is going to be jumbled and tough next season, but expect Buzz City to be right in the middle of the conversation.
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