Grading Charlotte Hornets' 15-Man Roster
Heading into the 2014-15 NBA season, the Charlotte Hornets not only have a buzzing city seething to root for an exciting team to make a playoff run in the Eastern Conference, but they also have a roster capable of living up to those expectations.
If you are into bold statements, you might even be inclined to say that they have upgraded at least slightly at every position on the floor.
Donning their new purple and teal, the Hornets will be trying to build upon an impressive 44-win season as the Bobcats last year, only now with considerably higher buzz and expectations surrounding the franchise. They have come a long way from that 7-59 lockout-shortened campaign that made them a laughing stock around the NBA.
No one is laughing anymore. Charlotte did lose key cog Josh McRoberts, but the team has done a great job crossing off items on the offseason checklist. It made a huge signing by bringing in Lance Stephenson and a couple crafty veteran acquisitions by inking Brian Roberts and Marvin Williams to contracts. They nailed it with Noah Vonleh and P.J. Hairston in the draft as well.
The Hornets will be marching into the season with a lot of depth, which is good to see after all the injuries they had to deal with last year. We are going to be taking a look at each position on the roster and handing out grades based on preseason performance, strength of the overall position and expectations.
Here are your 2014-15 Charlotte Hornets.
Point Guard
1 of 5
Depth Chart: Kemba Walker, Brian Roberts, Jannero Pargo
Walker didn't make huge strides on the stat sheet last year, but he started to fare better on the eye test. He relished big moments, hit some key shots for this team and also developed a good chemistry with Al Jefferson.
His efficiency did take a slight step back, and that is the area for him to improve this year. With Lance Stephenson around, it will ease some of the pressure on him. No longer will he be the only facilitator in the backcourt.
I would expect his scoring to take a slight hit while his peripherals and efficiency improve.
Brian Roberts was a neat signing after the Luke Ridnour experiment did not work out. He is the perfect point guard to run with this second unit. He has a strong outside shot, makes great decisions and seemingly never turns the ball over. He has been his usual self thus far in the preseason.
Pargo is no afterthought. He, too, will provide a punch off the bench. Look to see him contribute around 10 minutes a night of solid shooting and veteran poise as well.
This group will be better than last year's, and it will be good for Walker to have the luxury of picking his backups' brains all year. Walker has never had that proper veteran mentor to show him the ropes, and it could help him take that next step.
Their preseason performances were nothing to write home about, but expectations will be lifted, especially since Walker now has another year of experience under his belt as he heads into his fourth season. The depth has been upgraded as well, and these three have expectations of sailing this ship to at least the second round.
Grade: B
Shooting Guard
2 of 5
Depth Chart: Lance Stephenson, Gerald Henderson, Gary Neal, P.J. Hairston
This should unquestionably be Charlotte's most improved position from last season. Signing Stephenson away from the Indiana Pacers represented a pretty sizable shift in the balance of strength in the conference.
With the bench adding Henderson from the starting lineup, a full year of the rejuvenated Gary Neal and high-upside draft pick P.J. Hairston, both the starting unit and second unit will be much improved.
There are big expectations for Stephenson to bring some of his youthful exuberance and feisty two-way ability to this roster and provide a jolt. The Hornets had nothing like him on the roster last year, and owner Michael Jordan has to be thrilled to have him on staff. His style of play should fit right in without stunting his potential growth.
Acquiring Neal gave this team the boost it needed down the stretch, and he was money from day one, shooting 41 percent from downtown after a sluggish start to his season. He should be the squad's best shooter and will eat into some of the production left behind from Anthony Tolliver.
Not a ton will be expected from Hairston early on, but we have seen early in his career via preseason and summer league that he is not lacking in confidence. He still has work to do in terms of shot selection, but expect him to start providing an offensive punch off the bench around midseason.
This was the position where Charlotte had to improve, and it did. Stephenson will be a shot in the arm compared to the stagnant development of Henderson. Not to discredit him, since Henderson is a solid talent, but he is better suited as a good option off the bench as opposed to a decent starter.
The upgrades at this position are a big reason why Charlotte is expected to continue to ascend up the ranks in the East.
Grade: A-
Small Forward
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Depth Chart: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Jeff Taylor
The small forward position is very much up in the air for Charlotte. This is the slot on the floor that will be an added bonus from the offensive end, with expectations about as low as they can get. The team did make a big run at Gordon Hayward this offseason, but the Jazz ultimately matched the Hornets' four-year, $63 million offer sheet.
If Kidd-Gilchrist's improved jumper is for real, then there is a ton of upside to be had here.
It is unknown what role Taylor will have while he is awaiting probate completion on his domestic violence charges, but all the rage at the small forward slot right now is about the 6'7" MKG. Could this finally be the year he develops offensive competence?
MKG ended his preseason with four consecutive double-digit scoring games, showing an offensive aggression unlike anything fans have seen from him. He is getting out in the open floor, staying involved in the half court and crashing the boards.
The addition of Stephenson should hopefully light a fire under MKG. There is very little behind him at the position, but the roster is very top- and bottom-heavy. Head coach Steve Clifford should have no problem running two-point guard sets or sliding guys like Henderson, Hairston or even Neal to the 3-spot and be just fine.
However, the small amount of depth behind MKG puts some pressure on the 21-year-old. He has to stay healthy and also up his level of contribution. By all indications, he appears ready to do that. For now, the grade is unflattering, but it has the potential to improve greatly.
Grade: C
Power Forward
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Depth Chart: Marvin Williams, Cody Zeller, Jason Maxiell, Noah Vonleh
Josh McRoberts turned out to be a revelation for last year's Bobcats team. The squad never would have sniffed the amount of success it had without him. Now that he has taken his talents down to South Beach, Charlotte will be going with more depth to fill in the cracks.
Marvin Williams will provide solid defense and shooting, and Stephenson will provide the distributing left behind by McRoberts. One incredible stat from last year is that McRoberts was second in the entire NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.01) behind Chris Paul, and he was the only player in the top 20 of that category who wasn't a point guard.
No one is asking anyone to replace that, but the team has an incredible amount of talent with top-10 Indiana big men Zeller and Vonleh.
It would appear that Vonleh still has some growing to do, but Zeller should be fighting for the starting spot after a couple months. He came on strong after a slow start to last season and has continued that into this preseason. He is running the floor and making great decisions, exhibiting much more confidence than the often-lost rookie of last year.
The Jason Maxiell signing was under the radar, but this team was in need of another big body. He is very solid and will add the grit that this second unit needed down low. Jefferson going down at the end of last year made it a priority to add some more insurance down low since Zeller, Vonleh and Bismack Biyombo are all so young.
There is a lot to be excited about regarding this unit. We know what we are going to get from Williams and Maxiell at this point, but if Zeller can make big improvements, it will have a resounding impact on this roster.
Grade: B-
Center
5 of 5
Center: Al Jefferson, Bismack Biyombo
You can't say enough about the year Big Al had last season. Charlotte took a lot of heat for signing him, but a team can only wallow in the bottom of the standings for so long. Jefferson quickly made the team respectable again by providing the star power it needed.
After being banged up and starting out slow, Jefferson absolutely lit it up in the second half with 24.5 points and 11.4 rebounds per game, effectively putting this team on his back. It was arguably the best stretch of basketball he had ever played in his career. He had put up big numbers before but never had he been a defensive anchor on top of that.
Jefferson buying into Clifford's system and turning into a cinder block on the less glamorous end of the floor was one of the biggest lynchpins to the team's playoff run. He led by example and laid it all out on the floor until his foot gave out in the playoffs. Even then, he had to be dragged off the floor.
Now, Jefferson should have more help. He will still be the focal point on both ends, but Clifford is going to have to make sure he doesn't wear down late in the year again. The second unit is going to have to get 15-20 solid minutes a game out of Biyombo, Maxiell and maybe even Vonleh at center to keep Jefferson fresh. He exerts a lot of energy on both ends, and this team cannot afford to lose him again.
There are no surprises with Jefferson at this point of his career. He will continue to be one of the game's elite low-post scorers and will hopefully be leading this team to heights unreached in his second season in Charlotte.
Grade: A
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