Charlotte Hornets eye postseason return in weakened Eastern Conference
With superstars leaving the East and the Charlotte Hornets making quality additions this summer, the team is poised for a playoff return.
This offseason couldn’t have gone any better for the Charlotte Hornets. After a rather disappointing season last year where they missed the playoffs, the team is on the up and they look ready to get back to the playoffs for the third time in the last five years. Anything short of a postseason appearance will be a failure for them.
The expectation is not only for Charlotte to make the playoffs but to do so pretty handily in the 2017-18 season. Why are there such high expectations for a team that was 10 games under .500 (36-46) last year and was five games out of the eighth seed?
There are a number of reasons but the biggest contributing factor is the weakening of the East. The conference saw superstars and all-stars alike such as Paul George, Jimmy Butler and Paul Millsap all make a move West this summer. All three of their former teams are now expected to drop out of the playoff picture after losing their best players.
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Having Indiana, Chicago and Atlanta miss the postseason would open up three spots for teams who missed out last year. (Looking at you Charlotte!) The Hornets coupled the weakening of the East with a strong summer of their own. Not many teams at the bottom of the conference got that much better.
The top of the conference is still strong with Boston, Cleveland, Toronto and Washington leading the way but after them, it is a crapshoot. Milwaukee has a strong side and Miami should get back to the playoffs but there’s an argument to be made that Charlotte is either right on par or not far off from those teams in the middle of the East.
Adding an eight-time all-star Dwight Howard, a lottery pick and the potential steal of the draft Malik Monk as well as reinforcing their backup point guard spot with Michael Carter-Williams has Hornets’ fans and the team gearing up for a bounce back season.
Charlotte made the most of what limited options they had this summer. They kept all of their key pieces and made their core stronger by addressing their scoring, shooting and rebounding needs.
If Charlotte can get back to the postseason, it would only be their 11th appearance franchise history and only their fourth since returning to the Queen City in 2004.
Next: Five bold predictions for the 2017-18 season
If the trend of superstars leaving the East continues (LeBron to LA in 2018?), a big opportunity could arise for the Charlotte Hornets in the coming years. If they can stay healthy, there’s no reason why the team shouldn’t be back in the playoffs for at least next season and maybe every year for the new couple or few seasons.