Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets’ preseason schedule, Cody Zeller’s ceiling
Buzz City Beat is Swarm and Sting’s one stop for the latest and greatest news and stories from around the web about the Charlotte Hornets.
The NBA released Kemba Walker‘s top-10 plays of the 2016-17 season. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at the Charlotte Hornets‘ preseason schedule, where Cody Zeller ranks in the NBA and the team’s roster development.
Hornets announce preseason schedule (NBA.com)
"The Charlotte Hornets today announced their five-game 2017-18 preseason schedule, which is highlighted by home contests against the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks at Spectrum Center."
Charlotte will only play in five preseason games this year after playing in at least seven since 2012. The reduced games are probably because the NBA is scheduling to start the regular season 7-10 days earlier than usual. One down side is that the team will only have two home preseason games and none in Greensboro or a smaller venue outside of Spectrum Center.
The two games against the Celtics and one against the Heat were previously announced but the full schedule includes an away game against the Pistons and a home game against the Mavericks. For the third consecutive year, the Hornets will take on Miami in the preseason.
Cody Zeller’s ceiling (FanRagSports.com)
"Starting the season backing up Howard doesn’t mean he will finish the season that way. Dwight Howard doesn’t do the pick-and-roll anymore, and he certainly doesn’t pick and pop. The Hornets’ most frequent play type was the pick-and-roll, creating an awkward fit. It’s not impossible that Zeller will finish the season in front of Howard."
FanRag is rankings the top-100 players in the NBA for the upcoming 2017-18 season this summer. Zeller comes in at No. 71 with his floor being #120 and ceiling being #70. The reason for the disparity is because Cody will start the year backing up Dwight Howard and may stay in that role for the entire campaign.
His high ceiling is based on his potential. the Hornets’ big man showed that he has what it takes to be a starting level center in the NBA last season. Now he will be one of the best backup bigs in the league playing behind Howard. This hasn’t been talked about yet but Dwight could somewhat stunt Zeller’s growth.
Charlotte only has two players still on the roster from 2012 (AirAlamo.com)
"Of the 30 teams in the NBA, 20 have at least 1 player who has been playing with them since 2012. From those, 12 teams have two such players. Of these 12 teams, 10 were in the playoffs this past season. With the Charlotte Hornets (Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist)"
Next: Ranking Rich Cho's best moves as Hornets' GM
The Hornets’ roster has been completely overhauled in the last five years. Rich Cho has done a pretty good job of pulling this franchise from the bottom of the league to a potential playoff contender in the East. Looking at the 2012-13 squad, it’s probably a good thing that Charlotte didn’t hold on to most of those players for too long.