Charlotte Hornets 2014-15 Season Preview: Roster Breakdown, Win-Loss Prediction
After an offseason of anticipation of the return of the buzz, the Charlotte Hornets are prepared to set the city on fire with their fashionable new uniforms, impressive roster additions and spectacular new honeycomb court.
Basketball is upon us!
A lot has changed since the last time an NBA game took place in Charlotte, and the Eastern Conference is going to look radically different. Some guy named LeBron James took his talents elsewhere, along with Kevin Love. Paul George broke his leg and ruined the Indiana Pacers chances of running the East again. Paul Pierce left Brooklyn for the Washington Wizards, and the Heat replaced the King with Luol Deng and Charlotte's very own Josh McRoberts.
However, the biggest change in the conference could still be coming from lovely North Carolina. Lance Stephenson came to town. P.J. Hairston and Noah Vonleh showed up as one of the franchise's better draft hauls in quite some time. Al Jefferson fixed his foot. By some act of a higher power, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist might have learned how to shoot a basketball, and best of all, the Bobcats completely rebranded themselves as the Charlotte Hornets.
Fresh off the franchise's second playoff appearance, (and second sweep), the Hornets are more than equipped to ring in this new era with a loud statement. After Chicago and Cleveland, this conference is presumably wide open. Charlotte came within one win of its franchise record last season at 43-39, and with good health, the Hornets should have no trouble eclipsing that number this year.
Let's dive right into it. Here is the full preview with everything you need to know about your 2014-15 Charlotte Hornets.
Best Five
To some surprise, the Bobcats' best statistical lineup last year came during the brief 65 minutes shared by Kemba Walker, Ramon Sessions, Anthony Tolliver, Cody Zeller and Al Jefferson. Granted, that is a small sample size. Their most frequent lineup by far was Walker, Gerald Henderson, MKG, McRoberts and Jefferson.
Even though the 65-minute lineup played such a small amount of time together, a few things stuck out from their numbers playing together.
The unit was by far Charlotte's best outside shooting lineup, namely because of Sessions' ability to create helped free up Walker to light it up. Tolliver was an assassin all season, and that lineup shot 20 percent better than their opponents.
That lineup also produced the team's best statistical group when it came to assists and field goals made and attempted. Charlotte had huge advantages in all three categories with that lineup, likely because the ball movement was much more efficient with Sessions in the backcourt, and the team ran more with Zeller in the frontcourt.
I may be digging deep into my basketball nerd encyclopedia, but there is something to be made of the virtues of ball movement, shooting and running the floor—aspects that will get more emphasis with this new Hornets squad. Because of that, Charlotte's best lineup in 2014-15 will likely be Walker, Stephenson, MKG, Zeller and Jefferson.
Those five could dismantle teams in a variety of ways on offense by playing a brand of basketball that last year's Bobcats displayed for really only 65 minutes all season. Stephenson provides a second ball-handler in the backcourt, as well as another distributor. He and Walker have shown in preseason that they are going to be ruthless attacking the rim and making flashy passes all over the court. Zeller's energy and athleticism will be much different than the fundamental style McRoberts played. A consistent MKG would just be the icing on the cake.
Youth Movement
When thinking of this team's star-in-the-making, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist or Cody Zeller would be the first choices that come to mind. However, neither is as likely to be as a big a star this year as Lance Stephenson.
To many, this kid might have already become a star. He has been one of the driving forces the past couple of years behind the Pacers' ascension to the top of the East. However, he just turned 24, and still has plenty of room to improve his game. His fiery style of play fits just what you'd expect from a Brooklyn guard. Pairing him with the Bronx-born Kemba Walker is sure to provide one of the NBA's most dynamic, talented and underrated backcourts. These two are no strangers to one another, as well.
Stephenson will act as the Swiss Army Knife that coach Steve Clifford did not have at his disposal last season. He is 100 percent different than anyone else from last year's Bobcats roster, and if he can continue to improve in terms of attacking the rim and shooting from the outside, he could make another leap to become an All-Star.
Gerald Henderson was the starter last year, and he had a usage rate of 22.1, higher than Stephenson's 19.4. That just shows how much more effective Stephenson can be than Henderson, what kind of upgrade he can be.
Henderson's development has been stagnant over the past couple of seasons, whereas Stephenson is going to be more than ready to prove to the Pacers and the rest of the league why he is worthy of much more than the three-year, $27 million deal he signed this past offseason.
One might say he was even...Born Ready.
Team Award Predictions
Best Offensive Weapon: Al Jefferson
Big Al had his best campaign last year since he left Minnesota. He was the main reason this squad catapulted to 43 wins. Many were surprised that he took a deal to play in such a small market, but he made a massive contribution to the franchise a year ago and now has this team headed toward unprecedented levels of success.
It was a shame to see his season end with the plantar fasciitis injury in the playoffs, as his Bobcats were hanging in there with the mighty Miami Heat, for the most part. Another year in this system should only help him, and now with an improved roster around him, he could perform even better.
Defensive Stopper: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
His improved jumper should actually help him on defense. It will make him less of a liability on that end of the court, resulting in more minutes for MKG.. It will also help to tire out the man guarding him, resulting in said player having less energy to expend on offense. Ironing out that hitch in his shot should go a long way for him.
Having a jumper that is even somewhat respectable will boost his confidence. MKG seemed lost at times last season, and it was clear that his ineptitude on offense hampered his defense a little bit. Look for him to go from being a good perimeter defender to a great one.
Biggest Surprise: P.J. Hairston
He won't be a star right away, but there is a role on this team that he can fill following the departure of Anthony Tolliver. Hairston is a fearless shooter, and so far in preseason and summer league, he has proven he can be a legitimate threat from the outside.
Hairston is not necessarily a chucker, but he could still use more discipline in shot selection. That much was evident in summer league when he was the main offensive option. On this roster, he will mostly be used in the early going as an outside shooting threat off the bench. With some early continued success, Hairston could force his way into some bigger minutes, and success on his part might even push the front office into dealing Gerald Henderson.
When The Dust Settles...
I'm predicting a 46-36 record for this team and the fifth seed in the conference. I strongly believe if the players mesh together that this team can surprise the NBA world, and possibly put together a nice playoff run. The model they should be trying to emulate would be that of last season's Washington Wizards. Good health permitting, 46 wins is certainly attainable with the talent in place.
Winning 46 games would be a franchise record, but this team should have bigger aspirations. It is time to make noise as one of the big up-and-comers in the Eastern Conference and get to at least the second round of the playoffs. They got their feet wet last season, and now it wouldn't be a surprise to see them make a deeper run once they get to the postseason.
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