The Charlotte Hornets have not experienced Playoff basketball since 2016 and know any chance of ending their eight-year drought hinges on the health of All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball.
Ball only played 22 times in 2023/24 after an ankle injury ended his season prematurely for the second year in a row. The Hornets will be hoping the Ball curse can be avoided in the upcoming season, with LaMelo's brother, Lonzo Ball, injured more often than not for Eastern Conference rivals, Chicago Bulls.
It is not all pessimism for Charlotte, who will be integrating the sixth pick in the 2024 NBA draft, power forward Tidjane Salaun, a 19-year-old out of France.
Playoff aspirations for the Hornets
New head coach Charles Lee is tasked with ending the franchise's long wait for a Playoff berth after 27 and 21-win years under Steve Clifford, who replaced James Borrego in 2022 following two failed Play-in trips.
Lee joins after a year as Joe Mazzulla's top assistant coach, helping the Boston Celtics win the championship. He has also worked with the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks, winning his first chip with the latter in 2021.
The upcoming season will be Lee's first as a head coach in the NBA. He will hope the crucial experience working with Mazzulla and Mike Budenholzer bears fruit at the Spectrum Center.
As emphasised already, Lee's priority will be keeping Ball healthy and bringing the best out of him.
The 2021 Rookie of the Year will play wearing ankle braces for the first time in his career and he is likely to be joined in the backcourt by sophomore Brandon Miller - who finished third in Rookie of the Year voting earlier this year. Miller played 74 times in 23/24, averaging a 17.3 points per game in a little over 32 minutes a night.
Miles Bridges will likely start at small forward, with Lee to pick between Grant Williams and rookie Salaun at the four. Health depending, Mark Williams will be the Hornets' centre in 24/25, though Nick Richards is there as a back-up.
Lee should have a solid starting five at his disposal and a Playoff berth is certainly possible. However, should LaMelo's season be hindered by his ankles again, he can wave any hopes of post-season basketball goodbye.
Plenty of room for improvement
Lee has work to do. The Hornets underwhelmed on both ends of the floor last year, averaging 106.6 points per game. Only the Portland Trail Blazers (106.4) and Memphis Grizzlies (105.8) were worse.
Their rebounding numbers also left a lot to be desired, grabbing 31 defensive and 9.3 offensive boards per night. The Hornets' 40.3 rebounds per game was the worst in that statistic in the NBA.
A defensive rating of 119.2 also makes for bleak reading. Only the Utah Jazz were worse than that (119.6).
The return of Ball will certainly help on the offensive end of the floor, but defensively, the Hornets should still leave a lot to be desired.
As a lottery pick, Salaun comes with high expectations, but he will not change Charlotte's fortunes overnight. There was a lack of physicality last season and the 19-year-old is not going to bring that in abundance. He is still awfully raw and will need some time to adapt to the league. Regardless, Ball has the ability to carry this team to the Play-in at the very least; that is why his availability is so crucial.
The improvement of Miller throughout his rookie year brings plenty of hope. Overall, this is a team that should be fun to watch. That is probably as good as it is going to get...being fun.
First things first, the Hornets need to get Ball consistently on the floor and it is up to new head coach Lee to nurture the young talent he has at his disposal. Charlotte should go minus .500 but a first Playoff appearance in since 2016 should not be ruled out.
The Hornets start their pre-season schedule against the New York Knicks on October 6 and their NBA campaign tips off in Texas against the Houston Rockets on the 24th.
