Charlotte Hornets: How will the new Hornets guards fit the team

How the Charlotte Hornets new additions fit the team: James Bouknight

Bouknight might be one of the most universally praised draft picks I have seen for the Hornets since I became a fan. When the Hornets picked him at 11, the media loved it as they thought he was brought in to be the future running mate alongside Ball.

Bouknight is a fascinating player due to his scoring upside, a shot that is reported to be much improved and has terrific size for a guard.  He will be an important piece for the Hornets over the next several years but for this specific season, I think there is a real chance that Bouknight may struggle to find minutes if Charlotte’s goal is to truly push for the playoffs.

The main argument for this is that the Hornets and our goals have changed since last season. Last year, the Hornets were a team filled with young guys starting, backing up, and deep in the bench, so players were expected to hustle and work through mistakes. Charlotte outplayed all expectations from the start, but now we are hoping to win.

Charlotte’s starting guards are locked in for several years, have an all-star in Gordon Hayward, and have signed two veterans to team-friendly contracts.

This is a team that believes they are going to push for the playoffs, and it might mean a rookie guard who is mainly a scorer and needs development time may be squeezed for more stabilizing presences. Bouknight could be good, and he could be good quickly, quashing any worries about his development, but whether he plays and performs this year will be exclusively reliant on James Borrego.