Charlotte Hornets Round Table: Five early predictions for the 2019-20 season
A lot of questions surround the Charlotte Hornets. The main one addresses how many wins the team will have this year. Our writers dish on what they think will be the number.
Giovanni Spillman:
“Many fans may think that we have a bad team heading into this year, but they are wrong. We can’t already call the year because we lost Walker. Our young players had a huge impact in the last ten games of the season last year, beating teams like the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors twice. With that being said, I see Charlotte winning over twenty-five games.”
“It’s going to be a tough season for Charlotte Hornets fans. It was a let down free agency for the team, and they are left with a young core still trying to find their way in the NBA. I see the Hornets winning somewhere around 19-22 games this upcoming season. The only thing they will be fighting for is the top pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, while focusing on player development.”
“I think the Hornets will be winning at least 25 games, that’s for sure. The willingness to improve the young guys with playing time will make them hungry for some wins. In a best-case scenario, in which Terry Rozier is the player with more responsibility, they may jump to 30 or 35 maybe. This case is not likely to happen, it would need all the players to exceed expectations.”
“Between 19-29 wins. Without Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb, the team is destined to take a step back from last year’s 39-win mark. I see this team dropping at least 10 more games than last season’s squad, but no more than 20. Young players will determine how far this team falls in the already weak Eastern Conference.”
“With a good chunk of their scoring gone, the Charlotte Hornets will most likely struggle to compete in the Eastern Conference. The East isn’t the strongest it’s ever been, but this might be one of the weakest squads the Hornets will put on a basketball court in the last ten or so years. This all should lean towards them winning anywhere from 18 to 26 games. I fully expect them to be at or near the bottom of the Conference.”
“Realistically, while the number 25 has been thrown around by the likes of Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, Charlotte’s unproven roster could win anywhere between 15 and 30 games next season. While the “Young Bugs” of Bacon, Bridges, Graham, and Monk will receive crucial minutes throughout the season that should help their development, it is difficult to see this Hornets team win more than 27 games.”
“Realistically, I see the range of wins to be between 24 and 32 for this season. And that’s not an insult to the players on the team, the league has just gotten better and better over the last two seasons and it would be hard for a young team that’s rebuilding to even consider contending at this point. The added bonus is that the less games we win, the better we’ll be for the next season few seasons with contracts being over, more cap room, and a higher draft pick.”
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“The Hornets have an over-under of 24.5 wins this year, per OddsShark, and with the official NBA
schedule release not being until August 8th, it is a bit more difficult to guess a win total for this team. Regardless, my guess is 23-59. The Hornets will be in a tight battle with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the last spot in the Eastern Conference, and it should be an interesting lottery race between the two.”