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The x-factor for the upcoming season will be the health of two of the team’s stars. Hopes are high that Ball will improve upon his impressive rookie campaign and fans are hoping Rozier will continue his ascent as well.

Because of this, expectations for this team are higher coming into the 2021-22 season. The Hornets were ahead of schedule last year, catching the league off-guard with their appearance in the play-in tournament. The 6’11 forward/center could also be a solid contributor by season’s end. When Jones slid out of the lottery, the Hornets sent a top-18 protected 2022 first-round pick for his draft rights. He has impressed scouts with his outside shooting ability and should contribute as a role player early on. Bouknight should make an impact right away. The Hornets also drafted James Bouknight and Kai Jones in the first round of the 2021 NBA draft. He started 56 games last year and just missed averaging a double-double for the season with 10.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Plumlee should provide some much-needed frontcourt muscle. This same trade allowed the Hornets to move up in the draft to select lefty forward JT Thor with the 37th pick overall. Plumlee was acquired via a salary-dump trade with the Detroit Pistons. The Hornets are looking to Mason Plumlee to fill that void. The duo started 57 games between them last year and combined to average 14.4 points per game. He has averaged 7.7 points per game for his career.Ĭharlotte also said goodbye to centers Bismack Biyombo and Cody Zeller. Smith’s numbers won’t scare opponents, but the veteran point guard played well in limited minutes during the Washington Wizard’s short playoff run last year. Oubre needs to improve his shooting percentage from beyond the arc (31.6% last year) but he averaged 15.4 points per game for the Golden State Warriors. Although they lost backcourt rotation players like Graham and Malik Monk, the Hornets were able to replace them by signing Kelly Oubre and Ish Smith to two-year deals. The Hornets didn’t make any blockbuster moves this offseason, choosing instead to add depth to their rotation through the draft and two notable free-agent signings. This paired with Hayward’s injury certainly kept the Hornets from an even better record last season and the team needs both of these guys to stay healthy in order to have a chance at the postseason in the upcoming year. Ball managed to earn ROY honors despite missing 21 games with a broken wrist. Devonte’ Graham and Miles Bridges were bright spots for the young team, averaging 14.8 and 12.7 points per game respectively.

Gordon Hayward was an exciting offseason addition going into the year, but the wingman was held to only 44 games due to injury. Terry Rozierled the team in points per game during the regular season, P.J Washington was the leader in rebounds and blocks per game, and Ball set the pace in assists and steals for the squad. A late-season losing streak cost them home-court advantage in the play-in tournament against the Indiana Pacers. Although they finished 10th in the standings for the second year in a row, they won 10 more games than the previous year and improved to a. The Hornets were a pleasant surprise in the east last season.