Charlotte Hornets: 3 big questions heading into 2018-19 NBA season

3. Will James Borrego make a difference?

After letting go of head coach Steve Clifford, the Hornets decided to go the non-traditional route, bringing in former San Antonio Spurs assistant James Borrego on a four-year contract.

An assistant under Greg Popovich since 2015, Borrego has been cited as an excellent strategist on both ends of the floor with a penchant for creating great relationships with his players.

Charlotte has failed to qualify for the playoffs in three of the last four seasons, making it easy to see why a change at the helm was necessary. This does not, however, automatically mean such change will turn out well.

For all of Borrego’s qualifications, he’s had only 30 games of head coaching experience during the 2014-15 season with the Orlando Magic where he went 10-20 over the final 30 games of the season.

Given the likes of Mark Jackson and Dwane Casey were available for hire at one point or another during the offseason, the Hornets front office was under a lot of pressure to make sure they got their pick right.

As part of a Spurs coaching tree that’s produced some fine head coaches like Brett Brown and Mike Budenholzer, there’s a good chance Borrego is able to help Charlotte move in the right direction.

Like any new coach, though, there’s a chance it doesn’t, which would only extend the misery Hornets fans have had to endure for quite some time now.