Charlotte had been one of the best surprises in the league the previous year by winning 43 games, so it was expected that they would continue to be competitive last season. However, that did not happen and they were in fact one of the worst teams in the league. The Hornets fired their coach and rehired Steve Clifford once again. The team’s offense completely fell apart last season: from #6 in the previous year to being the worst offense in the league. They didn’t change their offensive structure dramatically, but their 3pts shooting (#7 best mark in the previous year with 37.0%) was just ice cold the entire season by being #29 in the league with 33.3%.
The main reason for these struggles on offense was related to LaMelo Ball’s availability. He only played 36 games due to injury, while he had played 75 games in his rookie season. Without their playmaker, Charlotte simply couldn’t generate enough good looks on offense. On the other hand, Miles Bridges who had had a breakout season in 2020-21 did not play the entire season due to “personal reasons”.
2023/24 OUTLOOK:
The Hornets selected Brandon Miller with the #2 overall pick for a position where they really needed help. Due to multiple injuries, Gordon Hayward doesn’t usually play more than 50 games per season. Cody Martin only played 7 games last season and Miles Bridges has been arrested again, so he may not be available at all this season. So, Charlotte really needed a quality player for the forward positions.
The main core of the roster returns for this season, so there is already a lot of familiarity between players. The Hornets were one of the best defensive teams in the league during the second half of last season and Mark Williams was one of the main reasons why that happened. After trading away Mason Plumlee, Williams saw more playing time (a boost of almost 10 minutes per game) and he showed that he can be a good defensive Center. Nick Richards is going to be his backup and the Hornets have then two traditional non-shooting Centers who can patrol the paint on defense.
However, the team’s success will depend on their perimeter players. LaMelo Ball is back and he will play alongside Terry Rozier, who is coming from a terribly inefficient season on offense. The same can be said about both Hayward’s and PJ Washington’s 3pts shooting numbers. Charlotte will need these players to be efficient on offense in order to be competitive, as on defense they should continue to have a fairly respectable unit.