Buzz City Beat is a daily roundup of the latest and greatest news and stories from around the internet about the Charlotte Hornets.
After a long road trip out west, the Charlotte Hornets return home to take on the Indiana Pacers. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at what the team needs in the draft, Frank Kaminsky‘s injury update and coming back to the Queen City.
Hornets Need in Upcoming Draft
“The Hornets are built like a ball club looking to contend, but are playing like one on the verge of a revamp. A slump sans Cody Zeller has Charlotte on the outside of the East’s playoff picture looking in, and the contracts of Zeller, Nicolas Batum, Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Miles Plumlee and Marvin Williams leave the team with little (if any) wiggle room to improve its prospects until 2019. If the Hornets land in the lottery, they’d do well to target another wing shooter or a big who can rebound and play in the pick-and-roll…like, say, Cody Zeller.” (BleacherReport.com)
While Charlotte’s season hasn’t gone to plan, their poor play has a silver lining as it will likely lead to a good lottery pick. The team may only be a few pieces away from contending and a young prospect could be exactly what they need to help get them over the hump. A perimeter shooting wing is definitely the team’s biggest need going forward but adding frontcourt depth is also needed.
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Aside from that, most of the starting lineup is set. The best thing the Hornets can add to their roster in this upcoming draft is a promising prospect. They are currently a team without prospects. They have a lot of veterans but very few young first round picks with upside. Athleticism is also a need as they lack explosiveness.
Frank Kaminsky Out 1-2 Weeks
“Frank Kaminsky will miss at least a week or two with a sprained shoulder according to coach Steve Clifford.” (FantasyPros.com)
Rumor had Kaminsky potentially out for the remainder of the season so the fact that Coach Clifford says that he will be back in a couple of weeks is encouraging. Frank was on a tear before suffering an AC joint sprain so hopefully, he can return to that form once he’s back. Despite the initial concern regarding his injury, it appears as though Kaminsky’s promising sophomore season isn’t quite over yet.
Team Returns to Charlotte to Take on the Pacers
“Charlotte returns to play 12 of its 20 remaining games at home after winning three of its last four games on a seven-game trip.” (FOXsports.com)
Next: Hornets Sign O'Bryant to Second 10-Day Deal
After an extended road trip, the Hornets are finally returning to the Spectrum Center for the first time since February 13th. While their play on the road hasn’t been great, the upside is that they close out the season with more than half of their games in Charlotte. All of those home games may help them make a final push towards the postseason.