Things are getting a later start for the upcoming NBA season, but it is soon approaching. The official preseason start date is this Friday and the Hornets are getting their preseason start this Saturday against the Toronto Raptors. While there have been some big changes in the organization, there are a lot of things that have stayed the same. This offseason has given Hornets fans a rejuvenated sense of hope for their favorite team, but I’m here to tell you as a Hornets fan myself, don’t get your hopes up too much. However, that isn’t to say that you shouldn’t be excited for the upcoming season.

The biggest offseason move this year for the Hornets was without a doubt, the signing of Gordon Hayward. The former Celtics and Jazz player signed for an astonishing $120M over the span of 4 years. I think this move is a good one considering that most fans felt like this was going to be another rebuilding year. This shows that the Hornets are trying to compete and that more than anything is the reason why signing Hayward is a good thing. Along with the Hayward signing, they got rid of the worst contract in Hornets history in Nic Batum. While Batum was a decent role player in Portland, and I’d even go on to say the early tenure into his Hornets career; the last couple years have been atrocious for Batum. I know what you’re thinking. Hayward is taking up more cap space than Batum, so how are things that much better? Hayward has natural scoring ability and that ability will take a lot of pressure off of Devonte’ Graham and Terry Rozier, who led the Hornets in scoring last season with 18.2 and 18.0 PPG respectively. If healthy, Gordon Hayward could be just what the Hornets need to start competing in a serious manner.

Despite being on the upper end of the lottery, the Hornets managed to get the 3rd pick in the NBA Draft. It wasn’t a certainty as to who the Hornets were going to select and I’ll even mention that there wasn’t certainty that they would even keep the pick. Well, they kept the pick and decided to go with LaMelo Ball. Now if you follow any level of basketball, odds are that you know more than you ever wanted to about the Ball Brothers. I’ll admit, before the draft, I wasn’t too excited about the idea of a Ball brother being in Charlotte, but on draft night, I think my reluctance turned into optimism. At this point in time, I am super optimistic about this draft pick and I really hope that he can be the game changer that the Hornets need to get to the next level. It isn’t really certain how much court time Ball will get in the start, but don’t expect him to be starting any time soon. At the moment, the don’t need him to step into a starting role or even an impactful role and I feel like that is the perfect situation for him. In 2-3 years, I really hope LaMelo Ball can be exactly what the Hornets need, but in the meantime, he needs to learn everything he can and become a disciplined and impactful NBA player.

In the beginning of the article I said that Hornets fans maybe shouldn’t expect a lot of difference in this season and last, but that isn’t saying that I feel like they will be worse. I think they will be better than last season for sure, but with the Eastern Conference being as tight as it is and a lot of teams staying neutral or even progressing, I think the Hornets will be on the outside looking in yet again. I hope I’m wrong, but this team isn’t a title contending team whatsoever, but I think this is a team that can sneak into the playoffs. At best, I think their ceiling is 6 seed and that is pushing it. If some of the younger players like Miles Bridges, PJ Washington, and Malik Monk can find their identities and really shine this year, I think they can make a small run, but I’m not expecting it.

It feels like the Hornets are in a lot better position than they were last year and that is reason enough for fans to get excited about the upcoming season. Their team doesn’t seem a lot different than last year’s team, but they have more depth on the bench and there are enough bright spots in this team to look forward to watching them this year. Charlotte hasn’t made it to the playoffs since 2016 and haven’t been past the first round since 2002. It is time for Hornets fans to be rewarded for their loyalty and hopefully 2021 will be their year to make a run. The Hornets will kick off their 2020-21 regular season campaign against the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road on December 23rd.

Yacs

Charlotte Hornets 2020-21 Season Preview