Charlotte Hornets: 3 Keys that will help Charlotte make the playoffs

3 Keys that will help Charlotte make the playoffs: The Hornets need to rely on internal improvement

Rozier and Hayward are not enough to will Charlotte to the playoffs by themselves. To contend for the Playoffs, the Hornets will need to rely on the improvement of its young, established players such as Ball, Bridges and P.J Washington.

Ball will need to make the biggest jump for Charlotte. He has a full season under his belt and had an entire offseason to work on his game, something rookies did not have last year because of COVID-19.

"“He spent a lot of time in the weight room,” Borrego said. “He spent a lot of time on the floor this summer, shooting the ball, working on his defense. We spent a lot of time one-on-one talking about the management of the game — understanding situations, time to score, play-calling, all those details that go into winning an NBA game. … He’s had a great offseason. He’s been in here the entire time. I haven’t had to chase him down.”"

The jump from year one to year two is a huge period of improvement for players, but it can also be a period of struggle. As teams start to understand a player’s style, they become easier to guard. That is why it is important for Ball to keep evolving as a player and add new moves to his bag.

Then there is Washington. He knows the importance of this season for his career and is looking to improve his play inside the paint so he can go toe-to-toe with other NBA centers.

(1) Rod Boone on Twitter: “PJ said he worked really hard at finishing at the rim during the offseason. That was one of his main focuses. Worked on post up moves and going strong to the basket.” / Twitter

Washington also wants to play consistently all year and improve his 3-point shooting percentage to over 40%. If he establishes himself as a viable center option and plays consistently throughout the year Charlotte will be in a much better position.

With Bridges, you cannot ask much more from him. He found his role last year and flourished in it. Then when players went down and someone needed to step up, Bridges was there.

Bridges scored at least 10 points in the Hornets last 20 games of last year. He was the only one to get something going in the play-in loss to Indiana and was 4 made free throws shy of joining the 50-40-90 club.

Even if he does not blow people away with his development this season, fans can hope Bridges will carry over his play from the end of last season. If he does, the Hornets are a serious threat in the East.