The Charlotte Hornets are one of the most-exciting teams in the NBA. They’re a franchise that oozes potential.
Over the last few years, the Hornets have made progress in the Eastern Conference standings (they’re 16-17 in a conference with parity this season) while making a handful of expensive free-agent signings. This team has the potential to be what the Atlanta Hawks were last season, that being a team that goes on a deep playoff run and becomes the next big thing in the conference.
Here’s why the Hornets could have a similar rise to prominence as the 2020-21 Hawks.
Related: Find out where the Charlotte Hornets stand in our NBA power rankings
Charlotte Hornets have a star scorer in LaMelo Ball
Trae Young has been the heart and soul of the Hawks since his rookie season (2018-19). He became one of the top scorers in the NBA in only his second season. Young has infinite range, a cunning ability to get inside off the dribble and is a respectable facilitator. He’s the motor of head coach Nate McMillan’s offense.
Every team needs a star scorer to win. Atlanta has that in Young. Charlotte has that same type of impact player in Ball.
The Hornets hit it big with Ball; he’s a star. Ball continues to grow into a more dominant player. He gets his points in a multitude of ways while hitting the boards and assisting for his teammates at a high level. Ball is quick off the dribble, has an improving jump shot and a knack for pick-pocketing ball-handlers.
- LaMelo Ball stats (2021-22): 19.9 points, 8.2 assists, 7.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 41.9/39.1/91.0
Ball has 78 NBA games under his belt; he hasn’t even played a full season of basketball, which is partially because of the shortened 2020-21 season. The sky is the limit for him. While he’s a different type of player compared to Young, Ball is elite in that he impacts the game in a variety of ways while being an integral source of offense for the Hornets.
The Hornets have their franchise player in Ball.
Related: Are the Charlotte Hornets included in our NBA Playoff predictions?
Charlotte Hornets have highly productive players in their prime
A year ago, the Hawks decided to spend a considerable amount of money on players in their prime who could boon their offense. Those individuals included Danilo Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanovic while big man Clint Capela was acquired before the 2020 NBA trade deadline.
That grouping of players complemented a talented young Hawks’ core. Gallinari and Bogdanovic provided the Hawks with proven players who sink shots from the perimeter. Meanwhile, Atlanta got one of the best centers in the sport in Capela.
Charlotte has added Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, Kelly Oubre and Mason Plumlee over the last three years. All of these players have plenty of ball left in them and in some cases are still in the front half of their NBA careers. Since landing in Charlotte, Rozier has been a reliable scorer both off the dribble and from distance. Once a primary defender who could occasionally stretch the floor, Rozier became an all-around point guard thanks to the commitment the Hornets gave him.
- Terry Rozier stats (2021-22): 16.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 41.5/34.3/84.6
Hayward has returned to being the player he was prior to his gruesome leg injury of 2017, which essentially set his career back two seasons. The Butler product scores in isolation and off the dribble while connecting from beyond the arc at a plausible level. Oubre has been instant offense off the bench this season, averaging 16.3 points per game. Plumlee has been a steady force in the paint on both ends of the floor.
These additions add up and have created a deep Charlotte roster.
Charlotte Hornets have a vibrant young core
The Hawks have scoring ammunition for days. At full force, they have Young, Bogdanovic, Gallinari, Capela, John Collins, Kevin Huerter, Cam Reddish, De’Andre Hunter, Lou Williams and Onyeka Okongwu. The bulk of these players can get a bucket in isolation and/or from the part of the floor where they operate.
At the moment, the Hawks are playing .500 basketball, but them having the aforementioned depth provides reason to be bullish about this team getting back on track in the coming months. They just advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals and in doing so put it all together after years of young talent not generating wins. The Hawks have shown they can come through in the clutch and are a team that others in the East have to combat.
Concerning Charlotte, Ball isn’t the only promising young player who the franchise had/has high hopes for. Miles Bridges has grown into an explosive scorer and slasher. P.J. Washington has had his moments on the offensive end. Cody Martin has made an impact in the scoring department off the bench. Rookie James Bouknight has scoring potential.
The combination of these youngsters and the veterans brought in via offseason transactions make for a compelling team. Last season could’ve gone a different way for the Hornets. They were 27-24 before injuries to Hayward and Ball threw a wrench in their playoff aspirations, as they were later demolished in the NBA Play-In Tournament by the Indiana Pacers, who were without Myler Turner and Caris LeVert.
The light didn’t turn on for the Hawks until the second half of the 2020-21 season. Charlotte has all the tools to do the same. It’s only a matter of time before they become a force to be reckoned with.