Outside of health, there is one clear area that the Charlotte Hornets must improve upon this season. Three-point shooting.
Charlotte found themselves among the worst three-point shooting teams last season. The Hornets averaged 10.7 makes per game, which ranks 28th. Additionally, their three-point percentage (33%) was second-worst in the league. This cannot happen again if the Hornets are going to be a competitive basketball team this season.
As mentioned above, injuries came into play last season. LaMelo Ball (46 games missed), Gordon Hayward (32 games missed), and Terry Rozier (19 games missed) all missed enough time last season to negatively impact the team’s performance in this area.
Something else to consider is the potential departures of two players in P.J. Washington and Kelly Oubre Jr. They accounted for 2.0 and 2.3 made threes per game last season, and removing that from the equation will make it difficult to improve for this year. Oubre is not considered an option to return, while Washington’s chances of donning a Hornets uniform again this season could go either way.
Of course, Charlotte is incorporating rookie Brandon Miller into their complement of three-point threats. The Alabama product averaged nearly three made shots from deep in his only college season. This should dip a bit as he becomes acclimated to the NBA game, but having someone who has shown he can convert from deep relatively often is an asset for the Hornets. If Miller can be a consistent enough threat from long-range, it could help offset the losses of Oubre and/or Washington.
It will be about finding a way to close the gap between where they were last season and the best three-point shooting team in the league last year (Golden State). Charlotte settling somewhere between their numbers from last season and where the Warriors league-leading three-point makes per game (16.6) and second-best percentage (38.5%) would go a long way for this young on-the-rise Hornets team.
3 most important Charlotte Hornets for the 2023-24 season
If the Charlotte Hornets are going to bounce back and be successful this season, they will need major contributions from these three players.