Hornets are inching closer to midseason roster shuffle
It is pretty safe to say that the Charlotte Hornets have not gotten off to the start they would have hoped. At 2-5, with four of their five losses coming after their opening night win, the trajectory this Hornets team is headed in is far from ideal. The overall lack of wins combined with the rate at which they are being outscored is not leading to the results in the win/loss column that they desire.
Even though Charlotte’s 116.3 points score per game ranks ninth in the NBA this season, their problem is on defense. At 123.1 points allowed per game, this is the third-highest total allowed by any team during the early part of the season. These two numbers combined result in their -6.8-point differential through their first seven games, the sixth-worst mark in the league.
The Hornets are currently tied with their previous and next opponent (Washington) for the second-worst record in the NBA. Memphis is the only team in the league that has fared worse thus far (1-7), and being toward the bottom of the league in wins and winning percentage is not anywhere remotely close to where the Hornets want to be.
Taking all of this into account, the time for the Hornets to consider making moves with the future in mind is drawing ever closer. This does not appear to be a team that is ready to make the leap many were hoping for this season, and their chances of contending for a spot in the Play-In Tournament appear to be a long shot at best. The Hornets should field trade offers for any and all of their veteran players in order to distribute their minutes to the younger players on the roster accordingly.
Perhaps things change for the better once Terry Rozier returns from injury and Miles Bridges is reintegrated into their rotation. However, a significant change in this team’s ceiling with these two players back in the mix seems very unlikely. Beginning the preparations to move players ahead of the deadline appears to be the best course of action for this franchise. A roster shuffle appears inevitable, as it seems to be a matter of when, and not if, this team decides to make moves with their eyes on the future.
