The Charlotte Hornets are coming off of a 2018-19 NBA campaign in which they won 39 games and just missed the playoffs, and now, heading into 2019-20, they would probably be lucky of they win 30 games.
The Hornets lost Kemba Walker this summer, as the All-Star point guard walked to the Boston Celtics in free agency.
To “replace” Walker, Charlotte signed former Celtics guard Terry Rozier, who had a great playoff run in 2018 but had a very underwhelming season this past year.
The Hornets have very limited talent up and down the roster in general, and there is a chance that they could end up being the worst team in the league this year as a result.
So, here are Charlotte's three biggest storylines going into 2019-20.
3. Malik Monk's Progression
Malik Monk has been a pretty big disappointment since being drafted 11th overall by the Hornets in 2017.
Billed as a sharpshooter coming out of Kentucky, Monk has made just 33.5 percent of his three-pointers since entering the NBA, and he actually backslid a bit this past year, shooting 33 percent as opposed to 34.2 percent during his rookie year.
In terms of his field-goal percentage, Monk hasn't been much better, as he has connected on a meager 37.6 percent of his shots thus far.
It's not like Monk is any good on defense, either. All of his potential is predicated on his ability to develop into a legitimate threat on the offensive end, and he is yet to do that thus far.
Fortunately, time is on Monk's side, as he is just 21 years old, but if he doesn't show some improvement in what is going to be his third season, there will be plenty of cause for concern.
2. Horrendous Depth
The Hornets not only have a shoddy starting lineup, but their bench is also terrible.
Willy Hernangomez is probably the best player Charlotte has coming off the pine, and until he is able to expand his range and regularly hit threes, he is nothing to write home about at center.
You then have Dwayne Bacon, who actually had a really good year shooting the ball on low volume this past season, the aforementioned Monk, rookies P.J. Washington and Cody Martin and then Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, one of the bigger draft busts we have seen over the last decade.
So, yeah. Not exactly an embarrassment of riches.
Either the Hornets' starting five better step up big time (which probably won't happen), or a couple of their youngsters need to surprise off the bench.
1. Terry Rozier Living Up to his Contract
Let's call it what it is: the Hornets overpaid Rozier this summer. Nearly $20 million a year for a guy who may not have even been worth $10 million annually? That's ridiculous.
I don't know if Rozier is ever going to live up to that three-year contract, and what makes matters worse is the circumstances surrounding his addition, as he was acquired in a sign-and-trade deal for Walker. You know, the same Walker the Hornets weren't willing to pay.
To be honest, Charlotte not wanting to pay Walker the supermax is perfectly understandable. The Hornets weren't going to win with him, and they have been pretty cash-strapped for years as it was.
But turning around and giving $58 million to Rozier is the kicker here.
I'm rooting for Rozier, but I find it hard to believe that a guy who has never shot 40 percent from the floor in any of his four NBA seasons is going to validate the deal the Hornets gave him.
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