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The Charlotte Hornets have had a solid start to their season in 2021. However, things can be just as good, if not better in 2022. LaMelo Ball is playing at an All-Star level, Miles Bridges is a likely favorite for the Most Improved Player award, and the rest of the Hornets core have stepped up every night. The rest of the league has recognized that the Hornets are not going to be an easy win on their schedule. In fact, they are one of the toughest matchups in the league with their play style. Oh, they also closed out 2021 on a three game winning streak, but they still have to be better in 2022. Here are three New Years resolutions for LaMelo and the fellas.
Hornets 2022 New Year's Resolutions
Stay healthy
The Hornets have only played a handful of games with their full roster. Obviously, Covid has effected almost every franchise in sports, but the Hornets can't catch a break. At one point they had over nine guys out due to health and safety protocols. That is at least 10 days of not having key rotation guys that impact winning. That's minutes being taken away by core guys to not only build chemistry with their teammates, but get more reps to improve their game. If outbreak spreads across your team, somebody has been going out and doing something after games. The Hornets have to just stay low and just hoop. Barring no outbreaks or lingering injuries, the Hornets can make a run into the postseason.
With the way James Borrego has handled the whole situation is excellent. Despite having guys in and out of the lineup, the Hornets are 19-17 and wedged into the thick of eastern conference.
Stay committed defensively
The Charlotte Hornets are 10th in defensive rating in the league. Not bad, right? However, they still struggle to get stops when they matter most. Teams consistently put up over 110 points on them sometimes and it's hard to win a game that way. Despite having some talented defensive players on their roster. At the end of the day, it all comes down to effort. James Borrego has emphasized after a few games that his team “hangs their heads after a missed shot at times,” which is just unacceptable. Most nights, you will likely shoot the ball under 50 percent. There is no need to get discouraged.
The Hornets are still a very young team though. There is plenty of room for them to grow on that end of the floor. Borrego came from the San Antonio Spurs, who are known for ball movement first, but their defensive pedigree is how they captured multiple championships throughout the years. Hopefully, Borrego can construct a plan to help this defense sneak into the top five for defensive rating and opponents point scored.
Keep growing
As mentioned above, the Hornets are one of the youngest teams in the league. Miles Bridges hasn't even hit the quarter century mark, LaMelo Ball isn't old enough to drink yet, and one of their veterans in Terry Rozier, is only 27 years old. No shade at all of course. Those are probably their three best players and they are still young. We're going to see a lot of mistakes come from them and the rest of the squad. It's only natural. Hell even the veteran teams will have mistakes. Whether it's a missed shot, or blown defensive rotation, who cares? It is just a learning curve. The team is just going to keep getting better and better. After every win and loss, they are getting experience.
Every NBA player knows they're not going to win every time they step out onto the floor. Still, they can take away an important lesson every night and learn what works for them. They learn what not to do again and how to make it better. The Hornets are on their way to building an elite level franchise, but it just takes some patience. They've spent some time building through the draft and have made some huge free agency signings over the past few seasons. That's why they are where they are right now. Don't be surprised if this team is in the playoffs in 2022 and a consistent face for years to come.
2022 is the start of new beginnings for everyone in the world. For the Hornets, it is picking up where they left off and building off their impressive season thus far. Fans should be hype for the basketball in Charlotte and the players probably already are. Just ask LaMelo Ball.
