The Charlotte Hornets Are SNEAKY GOOD…

The Charlotte Hornets haven’t made the playoffs since 2016. A lot has changed in the world since then. It’s been nine long seasons since the Hornets appeared in the playoffs. The longest drought in franchise history. And they are coming off a 19 and63 season. They were tied with the best odds of getting the number one pick of Cooper Flag, but of course they fell to number four. But still, I’m high on this Hornets team going into this season. They had a very good draft. They made some nice moves in the off season and now this team, they are looking to take a step forward in the Eastern Conference. In this one, guys, I want to talk about the Hornets and what they have just done and why they could very well find themselves in the playin, maybe even playoff mix. Do me a solid, drop a like on the video, subscribe to the channel if you are new, plus ring the bell for more. So, this is probably one of my boldest takes this off season, but I think the Hornets will take a step forward and that is pretty crazy to say considering this team just went 19 and 63. However, their core foundation looks promising and they were able to draft somebody who I’m very high on. Coniple fourth overall. I think he’s an outstanding player. He’s the ultimate pro. He’s going to be an excellent fit with the Hornets and the guy is straight up a winner. And the Hornets, they were able to get Canipple and number four. Then they dealt Mark Williams to the Suns, landing them 29th overall. And with that pick, they were able to get Liam McNeely. So just like that, after having the third worst shooting in the entire league, the Hornets addressed their shooting issues with two of the best shooters of this draft class. And then on the second night of the draft, the Hornets, they got James at 33 and then they address their center position getting Ryan Brener. So just like that, four new rookies come in and they will immediately impact the Hornets for now and for the future. And then with free agency, the Hornets, they still had a lot of things they needed to address the team. They needed guard depth. So what did the Hornets do? They traded away Nerkage to the Jazz for Colin Ston who just averaged 18.4 points and after that they continued to add to their depth as they resigned Treyman and then they signed Spencer Denwitty. So after struggling with depth at the guard position, the Hornets, they addressed that in an instance. And then the center position needed some help as well. After the team did deal Mark Williams and Nerkich, their only centers were Diabate and Brener. And Diabate, he showed a lot of great things last season, but his size projects him to be more of a forward in the long term. And then you look at Brener, the big man. He’s going to have to develop of course before he can be plugged into a significant role. But the Hornets, they did bring back Mason Plumbley. And then after that, they made some other moves. They got Conetan and they waved the Kogi before signing Drew Peterson to a two-way. And then the Hornets, they also signed Antonio Reeves to a two-way deal. So you look at what Jeff Peterson did in just a second off season. and he gave the Hornets probably their best stat in a very long time. I know it’s hard to justify this team taking a step forward considering that the season they just had, but we can’t forget what the Pistons just did this past season. They were a team that jumped from 14 wins to 44 wins. That was a 30- win increase. So, could the Hornets find themselves in a similar spot? I mean, they are certainly in an interesting spot. And you look at what the main reason why this team wasn’t able to take the step forward last season and why they ultimately had another loss season was because their team just wasn’t able to stay healthy on the court together. They were 3 and 32 with LaMelo Ball out and when they were sort of fully healthy to start the season. Let’s not forget the Hornets were hovering around 500 and LaMelo Ball was playing tremendous basketball. He was in early MVP conversations. They have the depth now. They got the core with LaMelo, Brandon Miller, and Conanipple. And it will be interesting to see what the Hornets do with their starting lineup. I think for now, Conanipple will come from off the bench, but I do see a world where Conanipple can be a starter very, very soon. He had a strong summer league. And by the way, the Hornets, they showed that promising young talent by winning summer league. It’s the first time they’ve won anything. So, I know it doesn’t mean much to a lot of people, but I do believe it means a lot to this Hornets franchise that they were able to win summer league. But you look at the depth chart, you’re going to have LaMelo Ball, Spencer, Denwy, James Simpson, Colin Ston, Trey Man, Conington, Smith Jr., Jeff Reeves, Brandon Miller, Coniple, Green, McNeely, Peterson, Miles Bridges, Grant Williams, Saloon, Diabate, Coch, Brener, and Plumley. When you look at this depth chart, it looks very enticing. When you look at the Hornets, I think if LaMelo Ball stays healthy, he can be a premier guard in this league. And then, you know, Brandon Miller, I think he’s gonna continue to take his game to a new level. I think having Colin Ston, though with this team is just going to be a huge boost for this team at the guard position. And I think Sexton will start out of the gate. And I think he will be a nice pairing with ball bridges if he can stay healthy. And then again, that depth behind him looks good. The question mark I do have is about the center position. It all does come down to Diabate. It’s going to be a big role for him. And then, you know, Brener showed a lot of good things, but is he ready to, you know, have significant rotation minutes? But you look at Diabate, the young player, you know, he is coming off 71 games played and he did average 5.7 points and 6.2 rebounds. So, the center position is the biggest question mark I have about this team. Maybe they can address it with another move closer to the deadline or maybe Diabate can take that step forward and you know it won’t be an issue to have him at that center position. The center rotation with the veteran Plumbley in the mix will be good enough for this Hornets team to be competitive. But overall, I think the Hornets are in prime position to take a step forward. Going back to their draft, I think they absolutely did a phenomenal job and I love the players they brought in. All guys who can contribute right away, particularly Coniple. I think he’s going to be utilized as a weapon, that six-man if you will, out of the gate from off the bench. I think he’s a starter on this team in the future. And, you know, he’s just going to add tremendous shooting. They were able to address that. A team that needs more shooting. And I really like the young guys they brought in. I like the collection of young talent the Hornets have. Like Brandon Miller, I think, is going to take a significant step forward. Like he got off to a great start last season. Let’s not forget like 27 games, he averaged 21 points. If he stays healthy, who knows the type of season he has. And then LaMelo Ball, him too, he got off to a blazing start. So health is the biggest thing with this team. I think if the Charlotte Hornets are healthy for a full season, they could take a significant step forward. Am I ready to say it’s going to be as big as what we just saw from the Pistons? No. But could it be similar? Absolutely. I think this team could at the very least find themselves in the playing mix. And maybe they can be this year’s Detroit Pistons of a team that goes from dead in the lottery to playoff spot from at the bottom to number six. Hefty expectations, but I do think the Hornets are going to be much improved. this is going to be a competitive squad and not one that you can just push over and look at on the schedule and say easy win. So, we’ll see how this team comes together. We’ll see how the rotation comes together. But, I’m excited to watch this Hornets team play. I think summer league is a sign of things to come. Win that summer league championship. The Hornets now hope that translates into winning at the next level of the NBA regular season. Let me know your thoughts on this Hornets team, guys. Do you think this team has what it takes to take a big step forward? Drop a like, subscribe to the channel if you’re new. That’s it for me. It’s Luke signing off. Thanks for watching. I will catch you all again in the next

The Charlotte Hornets could be a surprise team this season.

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