2014-15 NBA Season Preview: Charlotte Hornets
Welcome to theScore's preview of the 2014-15 Charlotte Hornets. Visit our preseason hub for previews of all 30 NBA teams.
Charlotte Hornets
2013-14
| Record | Division | East | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43-39 | 3rd | 7th | Lost R1 |
The Hornets (nee Bobcats) were one of the most improved teams in the Association last season, their 22-game jump second only to the Phoenix Suns. More impressive, though, is that they went from being the worst team in NBA history to a playoff squad in just two years.
The team's front office, inept as its proven to be in the past, deserves a good deal of credit for engineering the turnaround. They took some flak for giving center Al Jefferson - a self-professed defensive liability - three years and $40 million in the offseason, but Big Al responded with a career year: 21.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, a 22.7 PER, and an All-NBA third team nod (a first for both Jefferson and the franchise). His torrid second half saw him earn Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors in March and April, as he led the Bobcats to a 24-12 finish.
Point guard Kemba Walker chipped in a fine season of his own, and while on the surface he seemed to regress at the offensive end - he ranked 121st out of 127 qualified guards in effective field goal percentage (44.1) - he improved in less perceptible ways, particularly in terms of his decision-making and control. Walker slashed his turnover rate to 8.9 percent - an excellent mark for a high-usage starting point guard - and committed just one offensive foul all season. He also made great strides as a defender, and Charlotte gave up 6.2 fewer points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor.
Then there was new head coach Steve Clifford, a former assistant under Stan Van Gundy in Orlando, who proved to be possibly the best acquisition of all. Clifford not only coaxed valuable contributions out of role players like Josh McRoberts, Anthony Tolliver and Cody Zeller, but somehow wrung a top-six defense out of a roster that finished dead last on that end a season earlier.
Though they were swept by the eventual Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat in the first round (while Jefferson fought through a foot injury), the Bobcats had plenty to be proud of in 2013-14, and they went into the offseason carrying something they hadn't had since bringing basketball back to Charlotte in 2004: Hope.
Offseason Roundup
Even if they hadn't made a single roster move, Charlotte's offseason would've been a success by virtue of reclaiming their proud team name. But the re-branded Hornets didn't stop there. Riding the high of their successful Jefferson gamble, and sniffing the first repeat playoff showing in franchise history, ownership showed a previously unseen willingness to spend on free-agent talent.
Their lavish, ballsy offer sheet to restricted free agent Gordon Hayward was matched by the Utah Jazz, but it signaled a new direction for the franchise, which they legitimized by nimbly changing tack and reeling in former Pacers guard Lance Stephenson instead.
They made a couple more under-the-radar offseason moves, picking up versatile tweener forward Marvin Williams and sturdy backup point guard Brian Roberts. But they also lost super-glue guy Josh McRoberts, whose combination of size, creativity, passing ability and sneaky athleticism often kept Charlotte's wheezy offense from puttering out completely. His absence will sting.
Still, Stephenson should more than make up for it. While he can tend to play outside himself and try to do too much, he's a dynamic scorer and playmaker, something the space-clogged Hornets sorely needed. Perhaps more importantly, Stephenson is a diabolically disruptive defender, and, paired with Walker and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in the backcourt, he should make the Hornets one of the league's toughest teams to score on.
Additions
*PG Jannero Pargo (1/$1.5M)
SG Lance Stephenson (3/$27M)
PG Brian Roberts (2/$5.6M)
SF/PF Marvin Williams (2/$14M)
*Re-signed
Departures
PF Josh McRoberts (free agency)
SG/SF Chris Douglas-Roberts (free agency)
PG Luke Ridnour (free agency)
PF Anthony Tolliver (free agency)
2014 Draft
PF Noah Vonleh (1st round, 9th overall)
SF P.J. Hairston (1st round, 26th overall)
No team other than the Cleveland Cavaliers benefited more from the Cleveland Cavaliers winning the draft lottery than the Hornets. The Cavs' improbable leap into the top spot knocked the Detroit Pistons from the eighth slot down to ninth, meaning the top-eight-protected first-rounder the Pistons owed Charlotte from the 2012 Ben Gordon/Corey Maggette blockbuster garbage fire changed hands for one of the deeper drafts in recent memory.
The Hornets used that ninth pick to nab Noah Vonleh, a spidery 6-foot-9 forward with a 7-foot-4 wingspan and tantalizing upside. Vonleh had a tough time in Summer League, particularly when it came to finishing around the rim and holding onto the basketball, and it won't help that he'll likely miss all of training camp after suffering a sports hernia. In other words, there's a good chance he'll struggle out of the gate.
But patience could eventually be rewarded in a big way by Vonleh, who just turned 19 and has all the tools - length, mobility, athleticism, timing, shooting touch - to be an elite NBA stretch-four. He's a versatile big who can get it done on both ends, and as a freshman at Indiana last year he led the Big Ten in rebounding, finished fifth in true shooting percentage, and was seventh in blocks.
Hairston - a bruising 6-foot-6 shooting guard with tremendous range - might have a lower ceiling, but there's a good chance he'll be the more polished of the Hornets' two rooks this season. He turns 22 in December, and already has a year of D-League experience under his belt (in which he averaged 21.8 points per game).
The questions about Hairston have always been less about his talent than his character. The only reason he was playing in the D-League in the first place is because he was effectively banished from the University of North Carolina, and without having played an NBA game he's already found himself in some hot water. But if he can stay focused and out of trouble, the Hornets may have grabbed one of the biggest steals of the draft.
Starting 5
- PG Kemba Walker
- SG Lance Stephenson
- SF Gerald Henderson
- PF Marvin Williams
- C Al Jefferson
Breakout Player: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Kidd-Gilchrist has spent the summer trying to correct the troublesome hitch in his jump shot. This alone may not be reason for optimism; every year players whose jumpers need work talk about improving them in the offseason. But this would seem to be a more desperate reconstruction project for Kidd-Gilchrist, who, heading into his third season, may be approaching the NBA crossroads.
The majority of the skills that made Kidd-Gilchrist the second overall draft pick in 2012 have come as advertised: his speed, athleticism, lateral quicks and anticipation are all there, and he's capable of being both a defensive menace and a beast in transition.
But the lack of a reliable jumper has stunted Kidd-Gilchrist's development. Because his being on the floor mucks up spacing on offense, he's seen a reduction in minutes, and he'll have to clear that roadblock if he's to become the well-rounded star many believed he would be.
The good news is Kidd-Gilchrist just turned 21 - certainly not too old a dog to learn some new tricks - and coach Clifford claims he's had one of the team’s better offseasons. He's expected to duke it out with Gerald Henderson - a far better shooter with a far lower ceiling - for the team's starting small forward spot. If he wins the job, his numbers should get a major lift.
Season Expectations
If things break right, this could be a top-four outfit in the East. And if things break wrong, they'll still likely challenge for a low playoff seed. This team improved as last year went on, and they got better across the board in the offseason.
A lot will hinge on Jefferson - both his ability to replicate his 2013-14 production, and to stay healthy. He says the plantar fascia tear that hampered him in last year's playoffs is behind him, but time will tell how his foot responds when competitive play starts up again.
Regardless, with Clifford still at the helm and Stephenson in tow, this looks like one of the league's best defensive units. Solid production from their rookies, some incremental improvement from their young guys, and an uptick in offensive efficiency could have the Hornets hosting a playoff series for the first time in franchise history.
1 to Follow on Social Media
Adorable pics with his kids, cryptic inspirational videos, the latest from his burgeoning hip-hop career, and just the right amount of self-promotion?
It's gotta be Lance.