Charlotte Hornets Preview
MJ’s team has been on a real roller coaster ride the past couple of weeks, but they added a potential star in the draft.
Last Year:
Charlotte went 36–46, finishing 11th in the Eastern Conference and missing the playoffs by 5 games. Considering the Hornets had made the playoffs in the previous season and were tied for the 3rd best record in the conference, this was definitely a step back (and not the good kind, shoutout to Cardiac Kemba). Speaking of Kemba, he quietly had his best year as a pro, averaging 23 points per game and shooting just a hair under 40% from deep. The Hornets brought back Nic Batum, a key piece who they were able to re-sign, as well as Marvin Williams. So what changed? What caused a 12 win drop off for Charlotte? Well, for starters they lost Courtney Lee to the bright lights of New York City. Lee was their starting two guard, and his ability to both space the floor and play solid defense was a big asset to the team. He was replaced in the starting lineup with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who returned this past year after missing most of the 2015–16 season with a shoulder injury. The team went big by shifting Batum to the 2, and it really cramped their spacing. In a league that’s become increasingly 3-point heavy, Charlotte actually attempted fewer threes per game this past year than in the year before, in spite of adding guys like Marco Bellineli, and internal improvement out of Walker. The team also recently acquired Dwight Howard from Atlanta, which is a big gamble. But something tells me Michael Jordan is okay with a big gamble here and there.
Draft From The Past:
With the 11th pick in the draft, Charlotte was somehow lucky enough to have Malik Monk, a guard out of Kentucky, fall to them. Monk was expected to go to the Knicks at 8 (Monk and his coach John Calipari even said as much), but New York opted to pass on him in favor of Frank Ntilikina. Monk is an elite shooter with unwavering confidence. His ability to catch fire and make it rain from the outside will surely remind Hornets fans of Dell Curry, who shot over 40% from three for seven straight years with the Hornets. Hornets fans can only hope that one day Monk has a son who overcomes his ankle issues to win multiple MVPs.
Free Agency Tinder Superlike:
Charlotte has already taken one big swing by trading for Dwight Howard, who will now be the team’s starting center. With Howard, Batum, Walker, and Monk, the team is actually somewhat interesting and should be expected to make the playoffs in the fledgling Eastern Conference (especially with Chicago and potentially Indiana trading away their stars, and Atlanta possibly losing Paul Millsap). The team could use a backup point guard as Ramon Sessions and Brian Roberts are not really getting it done. They could use Monk to run the offense with second units, but that’s asking a little much of a rookie. Since the team is over the cap, they’ll need someone cheap. Because of the glut of point guards available, maybe the team can get someone like Darren Collison for nothing. Collison is no longer needed in Sacramento thanks to De’Aaron Fox, and would fit nicely as a pass-first backup for Steve Clifford.
One Defining Stat:
According to Basketball Reference, in 2016–17, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist attempted a career-high tying number of threes. That number? 9.
How Far Away Are They?
Charlotte is still a ways away from actually competing for a championship. That being said, so are most teams. The Hornets appear to be a solid bet to make the playoffs next season, which is progress, considering that the franchise hasn’t won a playoff series in 15 years. They still need stars. Kemba is their best player but he’s a borderline All-Star even in the watered down East. If Monk can develop into someone special, maybe the combination of him and Jordan would be enough to lure some big-name free agents. For now though, this team is solidly in the middle with some upside.
The Up & Under:
The Up: Monk wins rookie of the year, Kemba makes another All-Star team, Dwight only causes two controversies, and the Hornets make the playoffs as the fifth seed with a 46–36 record. They manage to push the fourth seeded Wizards to seven games before ultimately falling on the road.
The Under: Kemba’s outside shooting from last season turns out to be a fluke and he has his worst-shooting season as a pro. Monk struggles in limited minutes as Steve Clifford insists on bringing him off the bench in favor of playing their big ball lineup from last season. Charlotte finishes 34–48, missing the playoffs again. At the end of year press conference, MJ announces that he’s going to step away from NBA ownership to try owning a minor league baseball team instead. The team needs a new owner and is sold to the Ghost of EB White, who renames the team the Charlotte Webs. The Ghost of EB White fires Rich Cho and replaces him with a pig who’s supposedly really smart. The pig fully embraces analytics and hires Chip Engelland away from the Spurs to fix MKG’s shot. Everything is actually going pretty well — the Webs are 36–25 at this point — when MJ decides he wants back in. He banishes the Ghost of EB White to the spirit realm and regains his position as owner. He fires Engelland by punching him in the face at a practice. The Webs lose every game the rest of the season to finish 36–46.
