The Charlotte Hornets gave its fans a much improved season with a 44-38 record. The Hornets did make the Play-in Tournament appearance but their foray into the playoffs ended with a blowout loss to the Orlando Magic.
Here are a few things I feel the franchise needs to do to improve even more next season.
It may be an unpopular take but I feel Charlotte needs to become less reliant on LaMelo Ball. In fact, as I have spoken of in these pages over the years, I would move on from him if possible. The roster is much stronger now and I just don’t feel they need Ball offensively. And the guy clearly is not known for his defense. How about turning the team over to Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel?
If a trade can be made involving Ball, I would like to see the Hornets acquire a physical player. Head coach Charles Lee was quite clear after the Magic loss that his team needs to become physically tougher. Lee called the team’s propensity to get bullied by bigger, stronger teams an issue. With Charlotte’s point guard, shooting guard, and small forward already in place, those upgrades will have to come in the front court.
A potential target in a trade or free agency scenario? Oklahoma City’s Isaiah Hartenstein, a bruising big man with a championship ring who would fit nicely into Charlotte’s fast-paced half court offense that relies on its centers to create space with bone-crushing screens.
I would like to see Charlotte slow the game down a bit. Nobody plays at a faster pace of play. It works against the weaker teams, but the better teams in the league can deal with it. With Ball running the offense, the Hornets will always play fast. Miller and Knueppel would excel in a half court offense.
