They have little chance of advancing beyond the regular season. However, wins are wins, and while it hasn’t been a terrific basketball stretch, Hornets fans have more reason to be optimistic as of late.
It is quite likely that the Hornets will get a draft choice among the top five. They will likely be overlooked in dog positions for most of their upcoming contests. However, what you want to see are faint signs or indications. You want a narrow beam of illumination that holds hope. Having achieved victory in four out of five matches at the end of February, it may be considered a notable accomplishment despite failing to achieve comparable progress in March.
The Hornets Building Back Better
Following a two-and-a-half-week separation from Terry Rozier, the Charlotte Hornets executed two significant transactions before the NBA trade deadline in February. They sent Gordon Hayward to Oklahoma City and then transferred PJ Washington to Dallas.
Vasilije Micić, Dāvis Bertāns, and Tre Mann arrived from the Thunder, while the Mavericks will return Seth Curry, Grant Williams, and Seth Curry. Frank Ntilikina, Ish Smith, and James Bouknight were all released from the 15-man roster to create space.
In addition, the Hornets will get two second-round picks from Oklahoma City: Houston’s 2024 pick and Philadelphia’s 2025 pick. They will also acquire Dallas’ 2027 first-round pick, protected for the top two selections. Dallas will also get two more second-round picks: Boston’s 2024 selection and the less favorable option between Charlotte or the LA Clippers’ 2028 pick.
Upon analyzing the positions, it becomes evident that the Hornets exhibit a far higher level of balance as a team. Supporters may anticipate that the reserve players will exhibit superior performance compared to the reserve players they previously had, especially with the inclusion of experienced veterans.
Life After the Trade Deadline
After everyone settled, just nine players (including Kyle Lowry’s deal) were not on a two-way contract from the Hornets’ last game before the deadline last month. All five new players are contractually bound to the club until at least the 2024-25 season. This gives the organization a strong foundation to begin constructing and assessing its roster throughout this summer’s NBA Draft and free agency period.
Building a roster and achieving success in the NBA is a challenging and time-consuming endeavor. Regrettably, the present composition of the Hornets’ team was not proving to be successful. However, it is preferable to acknowledge these issues right now rather than wait until it is too late, which is precisely what the organization has managed to prevent by these recent strategic actions. We aren’t suggesting that handicappers run to the Hornet’s spread numbers and begin hammering the lines with FanDuel promotional codes in North Carolina. Still, the level of optimism has been higher than we’ve seen in recent times.
Value in Mann
One aspect of Charlotte’s deadline that I like is the opportunity to discover a player like Tre Mann, whom the Hornets can get value from and assess throughout the latter part of the season.
Although Mann was not included in the rotation in Oklahoma City, this does not imply that he cannot contribute in another location. The Thunder have a very extensive roster and struggle to provide all players with playing time. What I like about the Hornets’ current approach with Mann is their decision to include him in the starting lineup, allowing him to play and learn from his errors for the first time in his professional career.
Mann has exceptional scoring abilities and is a valuable asset to a squad that provides many opportunities for his overall skill development. Charlotte has displayed intelligence in that regard. Mann has achieved double-digit games on several occasions already, and his averaging almost six assists per game is quite promising.
Veteran Assistance
Curry, Micić, and Williams are not exceptional players on their own. They will not contend for any All-Star game positions. However, if you need a stable and harmonious locker room with consistent court performance, it is essential to have such experienced and reliable individuals on your team to support your top players.
It is not fortuitous that Bridges and Miller have shown exceptional performance since the deadline. They are receiving the necessary assistance on offense and defense.
Curry, Williams, and Micić joined the Hornets at the deadline, as each of these vets own a distinct skill set that surpasses the capabilities of the previous rotation. Curry is an exceptional marksman. Micic is a proficient point guard that’s knowledgeable with skills to manage an offense effectively. He is definitely not a Ball in any way. However, he will successfully deliver the ball to the appropriate locations and individuals.
