Swarm and Sting
Fansided

Charlotte Hornets Need to Get Younger and More Athletic

By Jerry Stephens

Feb 19, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Marvin Williams (2) is congratulated by guard Nicolas Batum (5) after scoring during the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Charlotte won 98-95. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 19, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Marvin Williams (2) is congratulated by guard Nicolas Batum (5) after scoring during the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Charlotte won 98-95. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Even though the Charlotte Hornets are known for their slow(ish) style of play, getting younger players to pick up the pace wouldn’t hurt.

Entering the offseason, the Charlotte Hornets‘ front office should be looking to add youth and athleticism. Whether it be through the draft, free agency or trades, getting younger and picking up their pace could help the team going forward. Although they have some good players on the roster, this squad still lacks elite explosiveness.

Steve Clifford teams are typically known for slowing the game down and taking care of the ball but that has proven to not always be a reliable formula for success as they missed the playoffs this season. Instead, they should be looking to create more possessions. The Hornets have already made strides in their three-point shooting over the past two years but the next step is becoming a quicker paced team.

Their slower-paced style doesn’t allow them to get easy buckets on fast break opportunities. In the 2016-17 season, Charlotte ranked 28th in the league in fast break points per game with only 9.4. (TeamRankings.com) Even though fast break points don’t directly correlate to victories, their lack of those chances speaks to the team’s style of play. They don’t need to be the Warriors or Rockets but picking up their speed a bit wouldn’t hurt their 19th ranked pace. (ESPN.com)

More from Swarm and Sting

Charlotte’s not an old team by any means. They are tied for 14th in the NBA with an average age of 26.1. (RealGM.com) While they don’t have any aging players, the Hornets also don’t have anyone under 23-years old after declining Christian Wood‘s team-option for next season. They have avoided drafting “project” type players in the past and have gone instead for proven guys like Frank Kaminsky.

Their roster simply lacks potential. There isn’t a player on the team that has the ability to be a future star down the road. Hopefully, they can pick up a player like that with their lottery pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Although athleticism and explosiveness don’t directly result in dunks, that is a good place to start. Charlotte ranked 28th in the league in dunks this past season. They only threw down 218 total dunks which are a far cry from Golden State’s 500 which led the NBA. (Basketball-Reference.com) Jeremy Lamb, Cody Zeller and sometimes Marvin Williams are the only real explosive leapers the team has on their roster. Outside of those three, the Hornets don’t have any explosive players.

Next: Four Biggest Concerns Entering the Offseason

It is unclear who the Charlotte Hornets will target this summer but they should get a bit younger through the draft. As for athleticism, that could be a challenge for them as players on the roster aren’t getting more athletic so it will take someone from the outside to add that. Picking up their pace depends on if Steve Clifford chooses a different style of play than what we’ve seen over the past few years, which is unlikely.

Home/Hornets News