NBA training camp is furiously approaching and Charlotte Hornets fans have a lot to be enthusiastic about. The Hornets have made a few key adjustments over this offseason and through the draft.
Mason Plumlee will improve the center position immensely. Kelly Oubre will bring scoring punch either off the bench or in the starting lineup and he can play multiple positions. Ish Smith will provide veteran leadership and a lot of speed.
The Hornets also drafted well, adding James Bouknight out of UConn, with the 11th overall pick, Kai Jones, who was selected No. 19 out of the University of Texas and a few other young players that can provide a spark right away.
With all the returning talent from last season and the new options that the organization acquired, here are three things that need to take place in the Hornets training camp for the season to be successful.
1. LaMelo Ball’s 3-Point Shooting – LaMelo Ball had a great overall rookie season. He led all first year players in assists, was second among rookies in scoring and finished it off with the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
On the other hand, no pun intended, the wrist injury that Ball sustained midway through last season, tempered his 3-point stroke. He started off the season red hot, shooting 50% in December and then cooled off considerably, shooting 25% by the time the play in tournament began in May.
There have been some concerns about Balls’ wrist injury, but he has been seen on social media platforms working on his midrange and outside jump shots. There was concern about the drastic dip in his outside shooting percentage. Ball needs to convert at least 35% of his 3-point shots to keep the defender honest. The Hornets are confident that Ball will find his outside shooting stroke by the time the season gets underway.
2. Filling the Holes – Devontae Graham, Cody Zeller and Malik Monk were key contributors to the Hornets organization for the last several years. With their departure, the Hornets have done a great job finding talent that should produce at the same clip or higher this season.
Ish Smith is not the 3-point shooter that Graham was, but he is good on the defensive end of the floor and can create plays for himself and his teammates. Mason Plumlee is a more agile big man than Zeller and is a better passer, especially out of the double team. Charlotte head coach James Borrego should feel more comfortable with Plumlee manning the paint, because he will block shots on the defensive end, he is an above average rebounder and he can score easily at the rim.
Oubre will take and expand Monk’s role on the team. Monk could come off the bench and score in bunches and Oubre should be able to contribute in the same way. Despite a slow start with the Golden State Warriors last season, he is sure to produce on both ends of the floor. With the other players that were lost in the offseason, the Hornets will need at least a 15 point per game average from Oubre. It all starts in training camp to see how the new guys fit in with the returning players.
3. The Fit – The core of the team remains the same, but watching the chemistry develop is the most important issue in training camp. All the new players will have to be incorporated into the scheme that Borrego designed for them.
Training camp will be a big evaluation to determine how the new acquisitions will fit in with the star players like Ball and Terry Rozier. The rookies should have a seamless transition into the Hornets organization because of the veterans on the team, but it is not a guarantee.
Being a cohesive unit should be an easy task for everyone, especially since Rozier hosted a team bonding workout in Miami this summer. The event wasn’t organized by team officials but they were able to get together and grow. Team owner Michael Jordan came down to witness some of the workouts.
Walking into training camp this time around should be just like Miami. This NBA campaign should be one of the best in recent Hornet history. Of course there are the elite teams in the NBA like the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets, but the younger, scrappy teams will be very entertaining to watch. The Hornets fit into that category.
LaMelo Ball should take huge strides in his second year in the league, Rozier is coming off of his best year as a pro and the rest of the team is set to do big things. Training camp is the first hurdle in a series of hurdles to get over.
