Continued growth from LaMelo Ball and Cody Martin will go a long way in determining Charlotte’s season.

James Borrego led Charlotte to 10-win improvements in three consecutive seasons, and the team’s arrow appeared to be pointing up when the young Hornets fell to Atlanta in the Play-In Tournament. Last season marked the second consecutive campaign that Charlotte lost its first Play-In game as the 10th seed. So, general manager Mitch Kupchak made the decision “to go to another voice,” he said, that would accelerate the development of a young squad with what appears to be a bright future. Kupchak hoped to add “another coach to bring us hopefully the same kind of improvement that coach Borrego gave us the first three years.”

Interestingly, Kupchak’s search led him back to coach Steve Clifford, who had been fired after the 2017-18 season, to lead a team that will be virtually the same group – minus Miles Bridges and Montrezl Harrell – as last season. Charlotte re-signed its best defender in Cody Martin to a four-year deal, and selected center Mark Williams out of Duke with the 15th pick in addition to signing Anthony Duruji, Isaiah Whaley, Jalen Crutcher and Jaylen Sims to Exhibit 10 contracts. Outside of the firing of Borrego, the most significant offseason development the Hornets experienced was the felony domestic violence charges faced by Bridges. That situation left Charlotte in somewhat of a holding pattern for the entire summer.

Ultimately, the Hornets continue to harbor postseason aspirations, and plan to rely on their extensive youth taking the next step in development, as well as Clifford’s penchant for producing teams that can defend at a high level. Expect more minutes for inexperienced players such as James Bouknight, JT Thor, and Kai Jones.

BIGGEST QUESTION

As mentioned earlier, Charlotte enters the season with postseason expectations. But with the Hornets likely to utilize virtually the same roster as 2021-22 (likely without Bridges), you wonder whether younger players such as rising star LaMelo Ball, Bouknight, and Martin can raise their games to the next level, while veterans such as Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward continue to provide steady contributions. Based on the club’s offseason decisions, it appears the Hornets are leaning on the expertise of veteran coach Clifford to take Charlotte where it wants to go.

SEASON PREDICTION

Bridges’ legal situation froze what should have been a productive offseason for the Hornets, and it’s too late in the game to add any contributors of note. Clifford believes this is his most talented team as an NBA head coach, and while Charlotte should be better holistically, it’s unlikely the record will indicate as much. The majority of the Hornets’ divisional foes (notably Atlanta and Orlando) improved over the offseason, while they stood pat. Charlotte certainly isn’t a lottery team, but it’s likely to fall short of its own postseason expectations. Projection: Play-In Tournament.

1 KEY STAT TO KNOW

92 — Terry Rozier led the league with 92 corner 3-pointers last season. That was the ninth most for any player in the 26 seasons of shot-location data.

— John Schuhmann

PROJECTED STARTING FIVE

LaMelo Ball: All-Star point guard is poised to enter Year 3 and showing leadership having spent nearly the entire summer working in Charlotte.

Terry Rozier: Explosive guard continues to blossom in Charlotte but might need to raise his 19.3-point scoring average from last season to compensate for the likely absence of second-leading scorer Bridges.

Gordon Hayward: Hayward’s health will remain a concern, as the Hornets are 26-35 without him in the lineup over the last two seasons, according to StatMuse.

P.J. Washington: Defense improved last season, and he’s currently working to hone ball-handling and finishing at the rim as he returns to role as full-time starter.

Mason Plumlee: Oldest player on the roster (32) has shot 60% or better on FGs in four of the last five seasons.

KEY RESERVES

James Bouknight: Scoring guard and former No. 11 pick of 2021 should receive the opportunities that eluded him as a rookie.

Cody Martin: Former second-round pick established himself as team’s top defender and needs to build on his career-high 38.4% from deep last season.

Kelly Oubre Jr.: Became only player in franchise history last season to string together multiple games as a reserve with 35 points or more.

LAST 5 SEASONS

How the Hornets have fared stats-wise over the last 5 seasons …

OffRtg = Points scored per 100 possessions
DefRtg = Points allowed per 100 possessions
NetRtg = Point differential per 100 possessions

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Michael C. Wright is a senior writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

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