Charlotte Hornets: Biggest strengths and weaknesses for 2017-18
By Randy Porga
Strength No. 3: Don’t count them out of the Eastern Conference
Despite the list of things that can go wrong for the Charlotte Hornets during 2017-18, there is a silver lining: The Eastern Conference is at one of its weakest periods in recent memory.
Three playoff teams from last year — the Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls — took enormous steps back this summer and in in all likelihood will not return this season.
The Charlotte Hornets finished with 36 wins last season, five games short of getting placed in the eighth seed, which was decided from a tiebreaker between the Bulls and Miami Heat. Chicago no longer have Jimmy Butler.
These are four teams in total now that are without key pieces that made their teams competitive last season. As for the rest of the teams that missed the postseason during 2016-17? Half of the Atlantic Division is in the middle of a rebuild, and then there’s the Detroit Pistons.
While the Charlotte Hornets should be banking on the success of their own team rather than the failure of others, it still remains true that the playoff race should be wide open for seeds 6-8.