Preseason Record: 1-3
The Charlotte Hornets will be one of the most entertaining teams in the league to watch this season. LaMelo Ball loves to throw outlet passes that would make an NFL quarterback envious, and Miles Bridges is one of the league’s great in-game dunkers. This team will run and gun with the best of them.
The question will be whether they can find a way to create good offense in the half-court. Last season it was a lot of Terry Rozier isolation plays. Can a healthy Gordon Hayward help to balance things out and make their approach more sustainable? How much will they miss the shooting of Devonte’ Graham and Malik Monk?
Hayward, Rozier and new addition Kelly Oubre Jr. only played in one game, and that was a Hornets win. Oubre was incredibly active, blocking three shots in his 13 minutes. He will add some verve and help the Hornets thrive in their small-ball defensive swarm units, which use athleticism and activity to balance out a lack of size.
Bold Prediction: LaMelo Ball is an All-Star. Ball may have missed much of last season due to injury, but it wasn’t enough to hold him back from winning Rookie of the Year, because he was that good already. The Hornets should be in the play-in mix early on in the season, and Ball is the real deal and will put up numbers to earn an All-Star berth in just his second season.