Playoffs or bust next year? Hornets roster breakdown reveals strengths, weaknesses
It’s been a long time since the Charlotte Hornets had expectations.
They better get used to it. The sentence “No one expected us to be here” must be stricken from their responses next season.
The Hornets raised the bar this season with the additions of LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward and the improved play of Miles Bridges and Terry Rozier. If they don’t attain a playoff spot next season (which means either finishing top-six in the Eastern Conference or advancing from the play-in tournament), they have themselves to blame.
Forward Bridges — the best truth-teller on this roster — said as much in his end-of-season interview with media Wednesday.
“We have to make the playoffs next year,” Bridges said. “If we don’t make the playoffs, then it’s just a waste of a season.”
The Hornets last reached the playoffs in the spring of 2016, losing a seven-game series to the Miami Heat. The makeover since then has been so wide that only center Cody Zeller — an unrestricted free agent this summer — remains from that last playoff roster.
General manager Mitch Kupchak has the tools this off-season to keep improving the talent, including as much as $29 million in salary-cap space.
The future revolves around Ball. As Bridges described, it’s “scary” how much potential he has.
“With a healthy Melo,” Bridges said, “there are not too many teams that we can’t beat.”
The 2020-21 season ended with a thud — six consecutive losses, including a blowout defeat at the hands of the Indiana Pacers in the play-in round, which Malik Monk and other players described as an “embarrassment.”
What did this season tell us about this roster? A player-by-player breakdown:
LaMelo Ball
Status: Signed through the 2023-24 season. Position: Point guard. Grade: A-minus.
Analysis: He’s special as a passer; it wasn’t hyperbole when coach James Borrego said Ball became the Hornets’ offensive “engine.” He proved to be a better shooter than pre-draft projections indicated. He needs to gain strength and bulk (he was listed at 6-7 and 190 pounds), and can be a defensive liability. But he’s the best player on this roster since Kemba Walker, and probably has a higher ceiling.
Bismack Biyombo
Status: Unrestricted free agent. Position: Center: Grade: C-plus
Analysis: We all know the liabilities from Biz’s two stints as a Hornet: limited offensively, bad hands. But for a guy playing on a one-year, late-career contract, he did what the Hornets expected (mentor young players, be ready if needed) and the unexpected (started 36 of 73 games). Biyombo is a solid defender that improved this team’s on-court communication.
Miles Bridges
Status: Signed through next season. Extension-eligible. Position: Power forward/small forward. Grade: A
Analysis: The blossoming Bridges experienced this season was beautiful to watch. He played mostly power forward, and thrived. He improved his shooting and ball-handling, took on a big leadership role, and cemented his value here. Yes, he’s a social-media sensation for his dunks. But he’s now a lot more than that, too.
Vernon Carey Jr.
Status: Signed through 2022-23 season. Position: Center-power forward. Grade: Incomplete
Analysis: The complaining from some fans that Carey should have been playing was over the top. He’s a second-round pick with offensive skills who struggled defensively. He and the rest of his rookie class lost so much development opportunity to the pandemic. This summer is important to whether he’s a rotation player next season.
Devonte Graham
Status: Restricted free agent. Position: Point guard. Grade: B-minus
Analysis: Coach James Borrego trusts Graham (some fans say excessively). He has limitations (for instance, only a 28.6% field-goal percentage 2-10 feet from the basket). However, he’s reliable both offensively and defensively. Graham said he’s not hung up on starting, and quality back-up point guards aren’t plentiful, so re-signing Graham seems a strong possibility.
Gordon Hayward
Status: Signed through 2023-24. Position: small forward. Grade: B-plus.
Analysis: When Hayward played, he was precisely what the Hornets craved: a connector who would both score and make plays for others and get them out of late shot-clock possessions. He missed 30 of 73 games with injury, including the last 25 with a foot sprain. At 31, with 21,000-some NBA minutes, it seems inevitable Hayward will miss time in his next three seasons; maybe 20 games per season. It’s the reality of all that mileage.
Caleb Martin
Status: Signed through next season (unguaranteed). Position: Small forward-shooting guard. Grade: C-minus.
Analysis: Caleb Martin has to be far better than last season’s 25% from 3-point range to have a sustained NBA career. He’s a better scorer between the Martin twins, with Cody the better defender and playmaker. Caleb must be a shotmaker to hang on with the Hornets.
Cody Martin
Status: Signed through next season (unguaranteed). Positions: Small forward-shooting guard. Grade: C-plus
Analysis: On a team with a lot of offense-first players, Cody Martin has formed a niche for himself as the Hornets’ best perimeter defender. However, Martin must still improve the reliability of his outside shot (28% from 3-point range) to solidify being in the Charlotte rotation long term.
Jalen McDaniels
Status: Signed through next season (unguaranteed). Positions: Small forward-power forward. Grade: C-plus
Analysis: Any time an NBA draft pick in the 50s contributes, it’s a pleasant surprise. McDaniels’ length (6-foot-10) and athleticism make him the sort of long, multi-positional player the Hornets have generally lacked. He needs to cut down on turnovers in traffic, but there’s potential there.
Malik Monk
Status: Restricted free agent. Position: Shooting guard. Grade: B-minus.
Analysis: Monk shooting 40% from 3-point range last season is clear progress. For whatever reason, he’s yet to solidify his place as a Hornet four seasons in. He says he wants to feel wanted when free-agency commences. It will be no surprise if he’s with another team next season.
Nick Richards
Status: Signed through the 2022-23 season. Position: Center. Grade: Incomplete.
Analysis: Richards is a good athlete who got a late start in basketball, and is still catching up as far as NBA-level skills. He might particularly benefit from summer league and an off-season with the assistant coaches the next four months.
Terry Rozier
Status: Signed through next season. Position: shooting guard-point guard. Grade: A-minus.
Analysis: Rozier had a career season and probably was the Hornets’ MVP. He was their first option offensively in the clutch. He seemed worn down late in the season, with other key players hurt and defenses ganged up on him. But he’s versatile, mentally tough and a leader.
Brad Wanamaker
Status: Free agent. Position: Point guard. Grade: C.
Analysis: Wanamaker arrived at the trade deadline from the Golden State Warriors to provide some point guard depth while Ball and Graham were hurt. He was low on mistakes, but not dynamic, in the minutes he played.
P.J. Washington
Status: Signed through 2022-23. Positions: Center-power forward. Grade: C-plus.
Analysis: Washington didn’t particularly progress from his performance as a rookie. He was asked to play center and power forward, which complicated his responsibilities, but his shooting and defense both seemed to plateau.
Cody Zeller
Status: Unrestricted free agent. Position: Center. Grade: C
Analysis; As Zeller described Wednesday, he will never be that center who hits a bunch of 3-pointers or blocks a bunch of shots. But he sets great screens, puts his body at risk to compete, and improves ball-movement. It might be time to find another franchise that values his skill set.
