Taking A Look At The Future For The Charlotte Hornets
Apr 7, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford in the first half of a game against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
The Charlotte Hornets are looking so much better this offseason compared to last year around this same time. You can look at the depth on the roster now and see that we have good talent very deep on the bench. I am going to break down each position for the Hornets and what I think about the position for the coming season.
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At the point guard position Kemba Walker is the starter and is more than capable of being a starting point guard on a deep playoff team. Walker will now have more options than shoot the ball when he is trying to create offense. The Hornets adding Jeremy Lin will give the Hornets a capable back up who could step up in the starting line up a few games if Kemba Walker gets hurt.
No offense to Brian Roberts but he should not see the floor much this coming season and rightly so. I do not see Brian Roberts signing anywhere else once his contract is up with us. Aaron Harrison may eventually win the 3rd point guard spot behind Jeremy Lin and I predict he will in my honest opinion.
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The shooting guard position has seen some major changes. Gerald Henderson and Lance Stephenson are gone and replaced with Nicolas Batum and Jeremy Lamb. Batum will be the starting shooting guard and Lamb will be his back up more than likely. Both players are better shooters than Henderson or Stephenson and will help spread the floor better for players to find driving lanes.
Troy Daniels will play sporadic minutes but never really see the floor much unless injuries occur. Having these three players at shooting guard will solidify that position for the coming season.
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At the small forward position the Hornets have Michael Kidd-Gilchrist who should be able to play more to his strengths thanks to added shooting. He will still try to get jump shots up but that should be rarely. Kidd-Gilchrist is going to have his first year in the league where he has shooting around him to open up driving lanes for him.
P.J. Hairston looks like he will be the back up small forward for the Hornets. While some Hornets’ fans are not happy with this I think he will be a great back up to Kidd-Gilchrist because he offers a change of pace. Hairston will have the body to play small forward but he has to slim down on some of the muscle he added (again none of his added weight is fat he is built like a beast). Hairston should play some minutes but he will see some games where it is cut down depending upon situations.
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Now on to the position of weakness last season for the Hornets which is the power forward position. Cody Zeller is a great power forward to have if he is coming off your bench but I do not see Zeller as a starter on this team. I believe that Frank Kaminsky offers more shooting and a better overall game to the starting line up than Zeller. The added shooting will help Al Jefferson because there will not be a second big man shadowing him in the paint. Kaminsky will always be able to bring the other team’s power forward out to where he is on the perimeter. There is a chance Kaminsky could do very well in his rookie season in that role. Zeller would do great coming off the bench because Lin running pick and roll with him and Spencer Hawes is a perfect idea basketball wise.
The center position is a solid group with Al Jefferson as the starter and Spencer Hawes coming off the bench for Al. Al will have to get into better shape this offseason and if he stays injury free this season (a biggggggggggggggggggg if) he could have another spectacular season like the 2013-2014 season.
Hawes provides a change of pace to Al because he is more perimeter oriented. Hawes will be a great fit with Lin on the back up rotational line up. I think that the Hornets may sign one more free agent to help add depth to either power forward or center. I think the center position offers some intriguing players still left including giving Greg Oden a chance.
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My outlook for this team is that they will have a good season and may even surprise the team they play in the first round of the playoffs (playoffs playoffs you say playoffs) and yes I do think they are a playoff team as the roster stands now.
It would be a disappointment if the Hornets miss the playoffs next season. The Hornets on paper are better than last year’s team at every position other than small forward and even that could be better (depends on development). I predict somewhere in the 45 to 50 win range but I was wrong last season about my prediction of 50 wins (injuries and poor chemistry did help lower their actual win total last season). Let me know what you think Hornets’ fans. Go Hornets!