Buzz City Beat is Swarm and Sting’s one stop for the best articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.
Surprisingly, Carmelo Anthony has still not been traded by the New York Knicks and that is still the biggest storyline this summer. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at the biggest need the Charlotte Hornets still need to fill, where the team ranks in the Southeast Division and the NBA’s new jersey rules.
Charlotte’s biggest need to fill (BleacherReport.com)
"Now, the 6’1″ point guard needs one of his teammates to fill the vacant sidekick role. The Hornets probably can’t address this issue externally. They need someone to rise within their ranks, because if this role lacks consistency, this offense may well do the same."
Even after a busy offseason, the Hornets still don’t have a true secondary scorer. They added some nice complimentary pieces with Dwight Howard and Michael Carter-Williams but neither will average close to 20 points per game. Nicolas Batum will be the Robin to Kemba’s Batman but he has never averaged more than 15.1 points per game.
Realistically, Charlotte will beat teams with Walker leading the way and having five players score in double digits. Last season, they had six players average double figures with Jeremy Lamb and MKG averaging just over 9.0 PPG. It will take a team effort scoring wise for the Hornets to win games but the scoring load should be lessened with the additions of scorers like Malik Monk and Dwight Howard who can come in and average 10+ PPG right off the bat.
Ranking the Southeast Division (BasketballInsiders.com)
"Charlotte will be able to alternate Howard with smaller lineups featuring the emergent Cody Zeller at center, but will need to avoid the spacing issues that would come from pairing Howard with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Expect another All-Star season from Kemba Walker."
Basketball Insiders puts the Hornets behind the Washington Wizards and the Miami Heat in the Southeast. Charlotte’s projected to win 40-45 games in the 2017-18 season which is close to Miami’s projection of 44-49 wins. It will likely be a close battle between the two for the second spot in the division.
The Wizards are the clear cut favorites but that doesn’t mean that the Heat and the Hornets can’t make things interesting by making it a tight race. If things go according to plan, the Southeast will have three teams in the playoffs with only the Atlanta Hawks and the Orlando Magic missing out. If Charlotte does manage to win 40+ games, it will only be the fourth time in the last 14 seasons.
How the NBA’s new jersey rules affect the Hornets (CharlotteObserver.com)
"From now on, the home team can pick what to wear for each home game and the road team will then select a contrasting uniform."
Next: Hornets finally have a big three but is it enough?
There is a good chance that we see the Hornets wear their Buzz City jerseys more often and possibly even their throwback pinstripes this season. Now that Nike has taken over as the official jersey manufacturer, home teams will no longer be required to wear the traditional white jerseys. Charlotte will stand out not only because of their alternates but also because they will be the only NBA team with the Jordan Brand logo on their jerseys.