The 2022-23 season did not go according to plan for the Charlotte Hornets. After two straight seasons of seeing 10 wins added to their win total, it dropped back down to 27, their second-lowest total since being rebranded to the Hornets prior to 2014-15, (the lowest being 23 in the shortened 2019-20 season).
With that behind them and ready to go with a fresh start, the Hornets have a few items to accomplish to get back on track in order to consider the upcoming season a success.
Compete for a spot in the Play-In Tournament
This seems pretty obvious. Return to being a competitive team and be in the mix for postseason play. At 27-55, the Hornets were not anywhere close to being a team competing for a spot in the Play-In Tournament, but that should change this season. Charlotte has some young pieces on their roster that should be able to put together a better team effort this time around.
Ideally, qualifying for the playoffs outright and/or making it through the Play-In Tournament should be on the table, but considering the franchise has just one playoff appearance since the Hornets’ name returned to Charlotte, just getting beyond the regular season would be a notable achievement for a team that should be on the rise.