The Charlotte Hornets have shown bursts of potential over the last few years, but they have yet to take the next level as a franchise. While fans know that there is still loads of adversity ahead, the 2024-25 NBA season offers the squad an auspicious opportunity to achieve significant growth on both collective and individual levels.

Health could be the only real impediment preventing the Hornets from effectively forming a young, exciting core this year. LaMelo Ball, who has missed the majority of each of the last two seasons with an ankle injury, is pumped up about the prospect of playing an entire campaign with Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges. He is specifically looking forward to seeing them run wild in transition.

“Both of them jumping?” Ball said at Media Day on Monday, via ClutchPoints. “That’s definitely a scary fast break.” For a deft playmaker like the 23-year-old, having two dynamic athletes to lean on should be highly motivating. The league has not seen this trio at full force yet, but if Ball, Miller and Bridges all continue to develop as expected, defenses will have their hands full.

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What will the Hornets be capable of in the next couple of years?

Ball has proven himself capable as both a rim attacker and perimeter threat in the past. Miller has a potent combination of length and skill that should only be more apparent in his second season. And Bridges can impact the game in multiple ways. With these three talents leading the way, the Hornets are brimming with promise.

Though, it is up to former Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics assistant and first-year head coach Charles Lee to help them reach their ceiling. That will obviously take time, but fans desperately want to see the foundation of a successful franchise reveal itself in 2024-25.

They also know better than to hastily board the hype train, however. Optimism and skepticism will continue to wrestle with one another in Charlotte until this franchise provides definitive evidence of a breakthrough.