2017-18 Season Preview

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2017-18 Season Preview Gallery | Portland Trail Blazers

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2017-18 Season Preview Series | Miami Heat

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2017-18 Season Preview Gallery | Denver Nuggets

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2017-18 Season Preview Gallery | Detroit Pistons

Notable Players Acquired: G Malik Monk (draft), C Dwight Howard (trade), G Michael Carter-Williams (draft)

Notable Players Lost: PF Miles Plumlee (trade), SG Marco Belinelli (trade), PG Ramon Sessions (free agency)

The Hornets finished last season with a 36-46 record, 11th in the Eastern Conference.

The core of Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum were once again solid, combining to average 38.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 11.4 assists per game.

On top of that Marvin Williams, Cody Zeller, Frank Kaminsky and Marco Belineli all averaged 10 or more points per game. Numbers say that the Hornets probably should have made the playoffs. They ranked 16th in points per game and 13th in points allowed per game. They were 14th in offensive rating and 14th in defensive rating.

The troubles for Charlotte came on the road. The Hornets were 22-19 at home, but just 14-27 on the road. Had the Hornets been able to make the postseason, it would have been the first time they made the playoffs in back-to-back years since 2002. Baron Davis was in just his second season.

What will the Hornets get out of center Dwight Howard? It’s hard to believe that this will be the fifth team Howard has played for already in his 13-year career.

Howard spent last season with the Hawks and averaged 13.5 points and 12.7 rebounds per game (his highest since 2011-12), so the thought that he had a bad season isn’t true. His 63.3 percent from the field was a career high, too.

Getting Howard is a good get for Charlotte and definitely worth the gamble. Depending on who starts at center (Cody Zeller started 58 games last season), Howard should be able to give the Hornets at least 20 minutes, eight points and eight rebounds per game. It’s not the Howard we used to know, but that’s probably just something that we should expect. It doesn’t mean he’s a bad player. Our perception of him just needs to change.

Point guard Marcus Paige, who signed a two-way contract with the Hornets this offseason, played with the Wolves this summer in Las Vegas. In five games, Paige averaged 12.4 points, five assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.

With the familiarity the Hornets have with each other, they should be solid in 2017-18, especially with the additions of Howard and Monk. With the East taking a hit this offseason (Paul George, Jimmy Butler and Paul Millsap all moved to the West), there appears to be a few spots up for grab in the playoffs. It’d be a surprise if Charlotte didn’t take one. 

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Plenty Of Solid Pieces In Charlotte

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2017-18 Season Preview Gallery | Charlotte Hornets

Notable Players Acquired: G Rajon Rondo, G Ian Clark, G Frank Jackson

The Pelicans finished last season with a 33-49 record last season, 13th in the West. The season revolved around the team acquiring big man DeMarcus Cousins at the trade deadline via the Sacramento Kings. The move came during the All-Star game, which was held in New Orleans. And Cousins was in that game. So that wasn’t awkward at all.

In his 17 games with the Pelicans, Cousins averaged 24.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from the 3-point line.

Unfortunately for New Orleans, the trade for Boogie didn’t pay off in a huge way. Before the All-Star break, the Pelicans were 23-34. After, they were 11-14. Better, but not a crazy difference.

But it’s hard to know how hard it is to form a team around two elite big men on the run with Cousins and Anthony Davis.

Davis and Cousins are both two of the top-5 big men in the league and Jrue Holiday is a solid third option who averaged 15.4 points and 7.3 assists per game. But if New Orleans wants to take a leap in the win column, the Pelicans will need someone else on the roster to emerge.

With a talented coach like Alvin Gentry, Cousins and Davis shouldn’t have any problem playing together. The question is who, outside of Holiday, will step up for the Pelicans to relieve the pressure off of their big three. Solomon Hill’s hamstring injury is a huge blow to the team. Candidates to step up for Hill, and the Pelicans, include newly-acquired Rajon Rondo, Ian Clark or rookie Frank Jackson.

Guard Charles Cooke spent time on the Timberwolves during this year’s Summer League play. Cooke played his college ball at Dayton and signed with the Pelicans after being undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft.

In five Summer League games with the Wolves, Cooke averaged 10 points, three rebounds and two assists per game. He shot 44.4 percent from the field and 40 percent from the 3-point line.

I think depth might hurt the Pelicans. Rondo will be a nice addition, and so will Clark. But we shouldn’t sleep on Hill. He only averaged seven points per game last season, but he played nearly 30 minutes per game last season and shot 35 percent from the 3-point line. His absence will hurt. With Davis and Cousins, I wouldn’t be shocked if the Pelicans made a playoff run. With all the teams playing small ball, the Pelicans are hoping to force teams to do the opposite. But with so many teams in the West improving, including the Timberwolves, I just don’t see the Pelicans making a run into the postseason in 2017-18. 

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Can The Pelicans Zig When Everyone Else Is Zagging?

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2017-18 Season Preview Gallery | Dallas Mavericks

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2017‑18 Season Preview