Top 10 Plays and Moments from Charlotte Hornets' 2014-15 Season

I'm sure we all wish this article was being written in June to include some historic playoff moments, but this is the hand the Charlotte Hornets were dealt. Now that the dust has settled, there are still some great moments to reflect on while waiting for next year.

The 2014-15 Charlotte Hornets stumbled right out of the gate and never recovered, finishing an unspectacular 33-49. Inconsistency was the main issue. Every time they took one step forward, it would be followed up with two steps back.

But some of those steps forward were fantastic.

The Hornets feature a mostly young and athletic roster that only occasionally lived up to its capabilities. They didn't produce many wins, but there were plenty of highlight plays.

10. Bismack Biyombo Posterizes Ian Mahinmi

Toward the end of the year, Bismack Biyombo did a solid job after earning more minutes. He averaged 7.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in the month of April, highlighted by this play.

Biyombo has been labeled an offensive liability throughout his career, and rightfully so. On April 3, he showed some of his potential, elevating way above the rim to pack one on Ian Mahinmi.

Biz now heads into restricted free agency. More plays like this would certainly earn him a spot on this roster.

9. Mo Williams Bursts onto the Scene, Hits 1,000th Career Three in Debut

Mo Williams came over to the Hornets in an exchange with the Minnesota Timberwolves for Gary Neal just before the All-Star break. Charlotte needed a veteran to keep the seat warm while Kemba Walker healed from his injury.

The Hornets ended up with so much more.

Whether he was proving himself for upcoming unrestricted free agency or simply trying to ignite a flame and lead his new team to the playoffs, Williams played some of his best basketball as a Hornet.

Williams hit 27 threes in his first eight games in Charlotte. He averaged an astounding 17.2 points and 6.0 assists during his brief tenure, turning back the clock to his All-Star days with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In his debut, he went toe-to-toe with Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder and notched 24 points, 12 assists and five threes.

That barrage included his 1,000th career make from long distance.

8. Noah Vonleh Finally Makes Noise, Notches First Double-Double vs. Pistons

The rookie No. 9 overall pick hardly ever got off the bench in Year 1. Once he finally did in late April, he made the most of it.

Noah Vonleh went off for 16 points and 12 boards in a 116-77 dismantling at the hands of the Detroit Pistons on April 15. The rookie showed off the full arsenal, including his patented ability to stretch the floor.

Best of all, Vonleh attacked the rim aggressively, not only drawing fouls, but also finishing above the rim with a violent putback slam.

The big man is sure to see more time on the court next season. Charlotte needs big help on offense and must embrace the youth movement. He logged under 100 minutes before April, a number he will ideally pass in three or four games in 2015-16.

7. Al Jefferson Notches 18 Points in First Quarter vs. Phoenix Suns

Big Al Jefferson had a down year, averaging just 16.6 points and 8.4 rebounds for the Hornets.

He looked like a fraction of his former self, but that was not the case on December 17 against the Phoenix Suns.

Jefferson broke out his entire bouquet of moves. He scored on duck-ins, face-up jumpers, drop steps, you name it. Big Al nailed eight of 10 shots in the first quarter to get his Hornets started on a great note.

He finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds, but it unfortunately wasn't enough. Phoenix prevailed 111-106 following a torrid second-half run.

6. Cody Zeller Dunk on Pau Gasol

Charlotte will need many more plays like this from Cody Zeller next year to turn this ship around.

Zeller has outstanding athleticism for a big man, and never was it more evident than on this posterization of the great Pau Gasol.

We didn't see a whole lot of this from Big Handsome as a rookie, but he showed more confidence to finish above the rim during his sophomore campaign. He even had a game with five dunks against the Orlando Magic.

See what the Hornets can do when they play uptempo?

5. Gerald Henderson Game-Winning Layup vs. Philadelphia 76ers

On April 4, forgotten man Gerald Henderson once again proved his value to this franchise.

With the season fading fast, Henderson drove to the rack on a straight isolation play to hit a tough lay-in with six seconds left, lifting Charlotte to a 92-91 victory over the lowly Sixers.

Hendo had been 2-of-11 from the floor at the time, but he came through when it mattered most. He was a vital member of the Hornets roster this season, especially with Lance Stephenson and P.J. Hairston faltering.

In fact, by looking at the FATS differential (factor-adjusted team similarities) designed by Bleacher Report's own Adam Fromal, Henderson was by far the most valuable Hornet this year.

This offseason will be interesting, as it is still up in the air whether Henderson exercises his player option. Don't expect the Hornets to draw up too many game-winning plays for their shooting guard next year, but it would still be big to bring Henderson back.

4. Cody Zeller Chase-Down Block on Bradley Beal

The good news? This was likely the best defensive play of Cody Zeller's young career.

The bad news? He hurt his shoulder shortly after he did this, effectively ending his season.

On March 9, Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards had an easy transition dunk. Zeller had other ideas, displaying his incredible open-court athleticism to get above the rim and smash Beal's shot off the backboard.

3. Lance Stephenson Dunk on Larry Sanders

Neither player involved in this play had a season to remember, but this was definitely one of Lance Stephenson's shining moments in his first year as a Hornet.

The Milwaukee Bucks' former shot-blocking dynamo was a terror around the rim. On this opening night, Stephenson showed no fear, as he rarely does. After Charlotte grabbed an offensive rebound, the rock got kicked out to Stephenson, who took it straight to the rack. The result was punishing.

This was a jaw-dropping moment that sent the crowd into a frenzy. The dunk was a perfect preview for what might be in 2014-15. Unfortunately, days got dark soon thereafter. But fans do still have one nasty dunk to look back on.

This is the Stephenson that needs to show up next season.

2. Kemba Walker Ties, Wins Game vs. Milwaukee Bucks to Open the Season

Once again we visit the season's opening contest. It really was shocking to see such an electric performance set the stage for such a bland 33-49 campaign.

One night after agreeing to a four-year contract extension, Walker played hero once again by canning a three with 1.6 seconds left to force overtime.

The Milwaukee Bucks were not done feeling his wrath. With just five seconds left in overtime, Walker drilled a 21-footer to lift his squad to a 108-106 victory.

Most impressively, Charlotte capped a 24-point comeback, making it the largest deficit overcome in Charlotte basketball history. The run was fueled not only by Walker, but also Stephenson's poster jam on Sanders that we saw previously.

Moments like this were few and far between for Walker in 2014-15. He has thrived in the big moment since college, but he still has to learn to dominate the rest of the game to become a great point guard.

1. Lance Stephenson's Game-Winning Three in Double-OT over the Atlanta Hawks

This was as good as it got for the Hornets in 2014-15. Unfortunately, they peaked early, but that does not discount just how great of a moment this was.

It is ironic that their defining moment came from the most disappointing player. Lance Stephenson just wrapped up the worst three-point shooting season in NBA history, but one of the few he hit was nothing short of magical. This was the final time Charlotte made it to .500 this year, and it was in just the sixth game of the season, albeit against the Eastern Conference's best team.

With 2.7 seconds left and tied in double-OT, Stephenson turned to Steve Clifford and said, "C'mon, Coach, draw me up a play."

That he did. Did Clifford call for Lance to bank in a 33-footer? It's unlikely.