Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets offseason needs, Fixing the bench
Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the latest and greatest news and stories from around the web about the Charlotte Hornets.
The Cavs were able to complete their sweep of the Raptors while the Wizards–Celtics and Rockets–Spurs series were evened up at 2-2. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at the Charlotte Hornets‘ offseason needs, fixing the team’s bench and Marvin Williams and Johnny O’Bryant put in extra work this summer.
Charlotte’s Offseason Needs (FanSided.com)
"The option on the contract of General Manager, Rich Cho, was picked up. Couple that with another year of head coaching experience under the belt of Clifford, and things may be on the upswing in the 2017-18 season. Here are five needs that, if addressed, may have the city of Charlotte unofficially changing its nickname from the Queen City to Buzz City."
The five offseason needs Source pinpoints for the Hornets are identity, buckets from others, a veteran leader, a post presence and a dynamic swingman. I would have to agree with all of those because they clearly need a number of upgrades if they want to get back in the playoffs next year. It won’t be easy to fill all of these holes but the “identity” aspect shouldn’t be too hard as Steve Clifford has implemented a defensive-first system. They just need to get back to that style of play.
As for all of the other needs, they must come from the outside. Whether it be through the draft or trades, Charlotte needs to find a way to add more scoring and shooting while not losing much on the defensive end. They’ve also missed low post scorer since Al Jefferson left last summer. Rich Cho has his work cut out for him this offseason as he looks to find answers for these needs.
Fixing the Hornets’ Bench (iSportsWeb.com)
"Charlotte must go after a player in the upcoming draft that will embrace a bench role and help keep the scoring up while Walker is on the bench. Malik Monk, De’Aaron Fox, and Donovan Mitchell are potential guards that help these problems."
Charlotte needs a scoring backup point guard. Ramon Sessions was not dynamic enough to fill Jeremy Lin‘s shoes as the dynamic playmaker for the second unit this past season. The Hornets need to get a quality backup for Kemba Walker. The article above mentions players in the draft that could fill that role but I believe they can find a better player through free agency.
Darren Collison and Patty Mills are just a couple of names to keep an eye on this summer. Depending on who the Hornets select in the draft, it will determine their plans and direction in free agency. One thing that is clear, is that they need a better backup point guard. Every other spot (SG – Jeremy Lamb, SF – Marco Belinelli, PF – Frank Kaminsky and C – Miles Plumlee) is already filled.
Marvin and Johnny Put in Summer Work (Twitter/ @Hornets)
"#MotivationMonday Marvin and Johnny putting in offseason work today in #BuzzCity 🔥💪🏼"
Next: Johnathan Motley is worth a 2nd round flier
I love seeing players voluntarily put in extra time and workout during the offseason. O’Bryant will be fighting for a spot on the Hornets’ roster this summer so it makes sense for him to take every opportunity to get better. As for Williams, it’s pretty crazy to see a 30-year old, 12-year veteran still working like a rookie. Credit to Marvin for that work ethic.