{"id":46957,"date":"2022-04-18T11:00:40","date_gmt":"2022-04-18T15:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=46957"},"modified":"2022-04-18T10:20:51","modified_gmt":"2022-04-18T14:20:51","slug":"charlotte-hornets-steps-to-improvement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2022\/04\/18\/charlotte-hornets-steps-to-improvement\/","title":{"rendered":"Charlotte Hornets: Steps to Improvement"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Charlotte Hornets were ousted by the Atlanta Hawks in the ninth vs tenth seeded matchup in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament. Although Charlotte made it to the play-in, they were never considered true contenders<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This team is young, plays with fire, and has a stellar offense.\u00a0LaMelo Ball<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>looks like a star in the making as well, especially after notching his first All-Star appearance this season. There’s work to be done to improve and become a perennial playoff contender, however.<\/p>\n

Charlotte Hornets: Steps to Improvement<\/h2>\n

1. Retain Key Pieces<\/h3>\n

First and foremost, the Hornets must hold onto\u00a0Miles Bridges<\/a><\/strong>. He exploded onto the scene this season and enters this summer as a restricted free agent. The good news for Charlotte is that they’ll be able to match any offer that comes Bridges’ way.<\/p>\n

This season, Bridges averaged about 20 points, seven boards, four assists, and a block and a steal per game. These are fantastic numbers, and he looked more and more like Charlotte’s second option behind Ball. He just turned 24-years-old last month, so Bridges will only continue to improve. Retaining him is Charlotte’s key priority this offseason.<\/p>\n

Another free agent is\u00a0Montrezl Harrell<\/a><\/strong>. He averaged about 13 points and six boards per game. Harrell is not absolutely key, but a great piece to have. With this being said, Charlotte cannot make him their full-time starting center. He should be retained if the price is right.<\/p>\n

Jalen McDaniels<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>can return on his team option.\u00a0Cody Martin<\/a><\/strong>, also a restricted free agent, is a solid bench option and should also be considered at the right price.<\/p>\n

2. Hit Big in the Draft<\/h3>\n

The Hornets will have a lottery pick. This pick is likely to be the 14th pick, but perhaps they can have some luck and move up a couple of spots. All that said, Charlotte’s recent rookie class did not produce and a lottery pick can quickly become a rotational piece.<\/p>\n

Charlotte can target a big such as\u00a0Jalen Duren<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>or\u00a0Mark Williams<\/strong><\/a>. They can go for a wing such as Ochai Agbaji <\/strong><\/a>or\u00a0Bennedict Mathurin<\/strong><\/a>. They can also target a backup guard like TyTy Washington<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The options will be plentiful. Charlotte, however, cannot allow their pick to sit on the bench all season such as\u00a0James Bouknight<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

3. The Charlotte Hornets Need to Find a Top Big Man<\/h3>\n

The Hornets’ most obvious hole is at the five.\u00a0Mason Plumlee<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>is not the ideal starter, whereas Harrell is undersized. A proper center can further elevate the offense but also shore up the defense.<\/p>\n

There will be elite free-agent options such as Deandre Ayton<\/a><\/strong>, and other solid ones like\u00a0Jusuf Nurkic<\/a><\/strong>, Mo Bamba<\/strong><\/a>, or Mitchell Robinson<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Charlotte, however, holds the pieces for a major trade. They have a large contract in\u00a0Gordon Hayward<\/a><\/strong>. They have tradeable young pieces like Bouknight and\u00a0PJ Washington<\/strong><\/a>. If a team covets Charlotte’s lottery pick, they can include that in a trade as well.<\/p>\n

Two top centers that may be available include Rudy Gobert<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Myles Turner<\/a><\/strong>. Gobert can completely revolutionize this team’s defense, whereas Turner is also a great defender with a polished offensive game.<\/p>\n

The Hornets can’t whiff on this. Failing to upgrade the center position will likely have them hovering around play-in territory next season as well.<\/p>\n

Main Image: Embed from Getty Images<\/a>