Miles Bridges is part of the young core the Charlotte Hornets are hoping can turn the franchise into winners. His rookie year showed a lot of promise after he was selected with the No. 12 pick by the Los Angeles Clippers and then traded on draft night to Charlotte.

Bridges played in 80 games in the 2018-19 season, finishing the year averaging 7.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 21.2 minutes per contest. He added 1.2 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.6 blocks per game.

Of course, there are still quite a few things Bridges can improve upon as well. While he technically needs to get better at everything, if he wants to make the biggest impact possible next season, there are some things he should focus on more than others. This will be especially important if Kemba Walker leaves this summer.

Here are the three improvements Miles Bridges must make this offseason for the Charlotte Hornets.

3-Point Shooting

Hornets

Miles Bridges was an inconsistent 3-point shooter in his rookie year. 32.5% isn't particularly good, and of the six players with at least 200 3-point attempts on the year for the Hornets, Bridges came in sixth in percentage.

If Bridges wants to be a big part of the offense and a legitimate threat from deep, he'll have to make adjustments. The Hornets likely won't want him being one of the team's top 3-point shooters if he continues to hit at a pedestrian clip, but there are signs he could be better.

Bridges was a stellar 3-point shooter in college who also hit over 85% from the free-throw line as a sophomore. He then hit over 75% from the charity stripe in his rookie season. As he continues to adjust to the longer 3-point line in the NBA, he very well could become a quality long-range shooter.

Playmaking

Miles Bridges

To be fair to Miles Bridges, the Hornets weren't exactly known for their passing abilities. Kemba Walker was the only player to average more than four assists a game last season, and he didn't even crack six a game.

As a team, they ranked 24th in the NBA in assists per game.

Still, 1.2 assists per game is something he'll need to work on, and he just needs to get better with his playmaking in general. This means not only getting other people involved, but playmaking could be about getting himself open as well.

If Bridges can improve his ball handling and passing skills, he could control the ball a lot more often. That could lead to him getting more opportunities to score for him, as well as getting his teammates better looks.

It's something that would not only help the Hornets, but would get Bridges more time on the floor.

Defense

Miles Bridges

Miles Bridges has a lot of promise on defense. Due to his 6-foot-7, 225-pound build, Bridges can cover multiple positions. He also has the athleticism to do so at an elite level.

Although he was solid on that end in the 2018-19 season, the hope is he can truly be one of the best in the game.

We're not just talking about getting more steals and blocks, although averaging over 1.0 a game next season would be a great step forward. This also pertains to locking down his man, improving on help defense and stopping fast breaks.

Bridges is someone who could cover the perimeter but have his presence felt down low as well.

With all that in mind, if Miles Bridges can take the right steps next season on defense, he'll be on his way to being an elite defender in the NBA. That's definitely something to strive for in his sophomore NBA campaign.