Hornets NBA Picks
The Charlotte Hornets have seen one of the NBA’s best turnarounds the past two seasons. They’ve gone from being a team stuck in the basement of the league to a squad that is a legitimate playoff hopeful.
2014-15 Charlotte Hornets
Eastern Conference
2013-14 Record: 43-39 (25-16 @ Home) .524
Odds to win Title: 66/1
Odds to win Conference: 251
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The question is: Can they take the next step during the 2014-15 season?
Cappers Picks provides free NBA HOOPS handicapping tips all season long.
Hornets Key Losses
Josh McRoberts – Josh McRoberts has opted to take his talents to South Beach, and while he signed hoping LeBron James would be there as well, that won’t be the case for this former Charlotte Hornet (then Bobcat).
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Luke Ridnour – As quickly as Luke Ridnour arrived last season, via a trade for Ramon Sessions, he’s no gone. Ridnour signed a free-agent contract with the Orlando Magic, and while his contributions won’t be too sorely missed, a veteran presence is always welcomed at the point guard position.
Hornets Top Newcomers
Lance Stephenson – Last season, the consensus was that the Hornets overpaid to get Al Jefferson in free agency, but as it turned out, his performance quieted most critics. This season, the team seems to have stolen a player in Lance Stephenson who was hoping for a near-max contract, and the hope is that he lives up to the hype.
Noah Vonleh – Speaking of stealing players, Noah Vonleh could prove to be one of the steals of the 2014 draft. Although not nearly as big a name as Jabari Parker or Andrew Wiggins, Vonleh went ninth after being considered a possible top-five pick in the eyes of numerous analysts.
Hornets Top Players
Al Jefferson – As mentioned above, critics leaguewide thought that the Al Jefferson signing was a good one, but one where Charlotte overpaid to get their man. Jefferson responded by scoring 21.8 points per game while posting 10.8 rebounds and a PER of 22.75 in the process.
Kemba Walker – Kemba Walker has shown impressive improvements over the past couple of seasons. Last year, he scored 17.7 points, collected 6.1 assists and grabbed 4.2 rebounds in 35.8 minutes per game.
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If he can get his shooting percentages up, he’ll be an All-Star caliber point guard out East.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist – The potential is there with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, but we just haven’t seen the kind of production that most expect from a second-overall pick. If he can improve his shot, that will be a start; however, sticking to his role as lock-down defender will be his best avenue to success.
Lance Stephenson – This team was elite as a defensive unit last season, and now it’s added a budding young defensive star in Stephenson. Let’s just hope he makes headlines for the right reasons this year and not his questionable antics.
Hornets Strengths
Defense – As strange as it might sound to those who don’t follow the Hornets, this group is elite on the defensive side of the floor. Steve Clifford took this team and helped mold its defensive mentality. Better defense — and better defensive rebounding — let this group play offense more meticulously, as the half-court game was more prevalent for all parties.
Hornets Weaknesses
Shooting – Shooting was a problem last season. Not only does this team lack true threats from both the mid and long range, but spacing on offense was problematic and created for stagnant approaches to scoring the basketball.
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Improvements from guys like MKG and Walker will help, but offensive schemes must be improved. Defense wins championships, but scoring the ball certainly helps, as we’ve seen the long-distance game have as much importance as ever in recent years.
Hornets 2014 Betting Prediction
The Hornets are officially a playoff team. That became true last season, and it should remain true in 2014-15.
The catch here is whether or not the team can take a grand step forward. That will depend largely on what role Stephenson is willing/able to play, and how well the offense can complement an already-established defense.
At this point, look for the Hornets to compete for the fifth or sixth seed in a wide-open conference.
A second-round appearance isn’t outside the realm of possibility, but that will likely be contingent upon avoiding the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls in Round 1 of the postseason.
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