The Charlotte Hornets are a serious up-and-coming team, They have all the proper pieces in Gordon Hayward, LaMelo Ball, and Terry Rozier. They also added some key players in the offseason like Kelly Oubre. However, fans and analysts believe that they need a few more seasons to fully bloom into a playoff squad.
While this is an understandable reading, there are three bold reasons why the Hornets, as they are right now, will shock everyone and qualify for the playoffs in the 2021-22 NBA season.
Hornets keys:
Gang of Veterans
Inexperience is a word that gets thrown around when discussing the Hornets, probably because all their eyes are locked on incoming second-year man LaMelo Ball. Yet if you look at the other players, the Hornets are actually a very experienced squad. Gordon Hayward seems to be the most experienced of them all. We're not just pointing out the fact that he's entering his 12th season in the league. He's also been to the playoffs four times in his career and has played a total of 29 games. The same goes with Rozier who has also been to the playoffs four times but has played 50 games. Of course, there's big man Mason Plumlee who'll be one of the loudest veteran voices in the Hornets locker room.
LaMelo Ball will be given the keys all season long
Hornets head coach James Borrego interestingly did not insert LaMelo Ball into the starting lineup right from the get-go. Perhaps Borrego was trying his best to be objective and rid himself of the hype surrounding the young guard. The way to do it is to evaluate Ball with his own eyes, see how the games pan out with him on the floor. Eventually, Ball's talent was too irresistible, coupled with the fact that Devonte' Graham went down with an injury. And when Ball became the starting guard, the offense absolutely looked fluid. The Hornets started squeezing out victories here and there. This momentum was cut short due to a hand injury which forced Ball to miss a chunk of games.
In effect, the Hornets weren't really able to show off what they can do.
Barring any injuries to Ball, we might finally see the Hornets in full effect this season.
Perfect fit
A generational player surrounded by a gang of veterans. The Hornets have all the ingredients. Looking at their respective playstyles, everything fits like a glove. As for one, Hayward has always been the type of player who can adjust his playstyle comfortably to whatever system he's playing in. When you need him to play a bit of iso ball, he has the strength and the solid fundamentals to break down his defender. He's also a terrific player off the ball — something imperative when you have a playmaker like Ball in the fold.
Rozier, for his part, seems to have adjusted his game, too, to maximize Ball's talents. In his first season with the Hornets, Borrego allowed Rozier to basically do whatever he wants — either create his own shots or get his teammates involved. When Ball arrived, there were initial apprehensions about how he would fit with Rozier, who seems to be a comfort when the ball is in his hands. But as the season progressed, there was no inkling of any tension between them. Though Rozier would have a chance at playing his old role, he didn't mind when Ball was the one who was orchestrating the offense.
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