Charlotte had some expectations going into the last season. They had unexpectedly reached the play-in tournament the previous year with LaMelo Ball being Rookie of the Year. They confirmed the expectations by getting to the play-in again. The difference was that they won 10 more games than they had won the previous season, after having done the same in the previous season: a +20 wins swing in only three years!
LaMelo Ball was an All Star as his 38.9% 3pts in 7.5 attempts per game was impressive while also leading an offense that was #6 in the league. The Hornets used a fast tempo style to accommodate Ball’s strengths and it really worked for them as Charlotte was top 3 in the league in both transition volume and PPP. On the other hand, Miles Bridges was a nice surprise for them last season, playing close to All Star level especially in the first half of the season, while P.J. Washington improved significantly on the defensive end.
Charlotte could have been even better last season if it wasn’t for their subpar defense. They couldn’t rebound the basketball (they used plenty of small lineups with Washington at Center) and they allowed not only too many shots at the rim but also a lot of wide open threes to their opponents.
2022/23 Outlook:
Even though the Hornets won 10 more games than they had done the previous season, coach James Borrego was fired. His replacement is Steve Clifford, who was the team’s coach before Borrego. This was a weird decision as Clifford’s style is different from Borrego’s as he prefers a more slow paced offense and is mostly a defense first kind of coach, which doesn’t seem to suit Charlotte’s young core of players.
The Hornets didn’t make a lot of roster moves during the offseason but they received terrible news when Miles Bridges was charged with a domestic violence felony and will be out of the team indefinitely.
LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier will once again be the team’s main guards and they already have plenty of experience playing together. With Bridges not being available, Charlotte will need a player who steps up in the scoring department and Gordon Hayward should be that player as long as he keeps himself healthy, which seems unlikely given his recent history with injuries.
Charlotte needs some of their young players (Mark Williams, James Bouknight, JT Thor and Kai Jones) contribute so they can have enough depth to be competitive, especially if Bridges misses the whole season.