Earlier this week, the NBA released the full schedule for the 2024-25 season and the Charlotte Hornets“The Red Devils will have a significantly tougher start to the season than last year. They will begin the season on the road in Houston, then travel to Atlanta before returning to the Queen City for the home opener against the Miami Heat.
After two straight seasons with less than 30 wins, expectations for this year’s Hornets aren’t very high, at least in the league. Those who follow this team closely realize that the team’s overall health has been the number one problem during those two disastrous seasons, and with a revamped coaching staff, there’s optimism that those with a heavy injury history are in better hands.
Is this team good enough to make the playoffs? Personally, I think they’re close to doing so. If they can stay healthy and Brandon Miller and Mark Williams take the next step in their individual development, winning 35 games or more is achievable.
Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey says 28-54.
“It’s hard to get a good sense of the state of the Charlotte Hornets when their point guard and franchise pillar, LaMelo Ball, has struggled in terms of unavailability. Over the last two seasons, he has played in just 58 games.
“Perhaps just as concerning is that throughout his career, Ball’s impact on winning has been relatively minimal. His per-game averages of 20.0 points, 7.4 assists, 6.2 rebounds and 2.9 three-pointers are impressive, but Charlotte’s net percentage is only 0.2 points better when he plays.
“The plan makes sense with him. His point guard play, Mark Williams’ rim protection and run game and Brandon Miller’s gap-filling game should all mesh together. But it’ll probably take decent progress from all three to qualify for the play-in.”
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