Before the 2024-25 regular season began, a minor argument brewed among the Charlotte Hornets faithful about whether the team should set a goal of making the playoffs.
Those who suggested missing the playoffs believe the franchise needs to hold onto its lottery-protected first-round pick in the 2025 draft and focus instead on player development. On the other hand, some Hornets fans are dying to see the squad get back to that stage again. After all, the last time Charlotte made it that far was back in 2016, making it the team with the longest active playoffs drought.
Barring any miracles, the dry spell will likely extend by one year, considering how far behind the Hornets are today in the Eastern Conference standings.
Checking where the players from the 2015-16 Hornets squad are
Perhaps the Hornets of today can find inspiration from how their predecessors from nine seasons ago advanced to the postseason. Before Christmas Day of the 2015-16 campaign, Charlotte sat in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. It fell to as low as 12th sometime later before one of the franchise's best post-Christmas runs this century got the team the fifth seed in the East.
Below are the players who were a major part of the Hornets' rotation in the 2016 playoffs, where they lost in the first round to the Miami Heat.
Kemba Walker
Charlotte's GOAT point guard (for now) has remained connected with the organization. Kemba Walker retired this past offseason at 34 years old and then announced his decision to join the Hornets as player enhancement coach.
Al Jefferson
The last great big man to play for the Hornets, Al Jefferson left the NBA in 2018. He then took his talents to China before returning to the U.S. to compete in the BIG3 league in 2019. The 2014 All-NBA Third-Team selection recently appeared on Tony Allen's podcast.
Jeremy Lin
Some may have already forgotten that Jeremy Lin suited up for Charlotte for one campaign. At 36, he still continues to play professional hoops, starring for the New Taipei Kings of the Taiwan Professional Basketball League.
Nicolas Batum
Impressively, Nicolas Batum is still playing meaningful minutes, serving as an elder statesman for the LA Clippers. His numbers are at the lowest it has ever been in the league, yet the coaching staff has put him on the floor for 18.5 minutes per game.
Courtney Lee
After spending 12 seasons in the NBA, Courtney Lee hung up his shoes in 2021. He has largely stayed out of the limelight since then, and one of his last updates on X (formerly Twitter) was an announcement that he had gotten involved in the Crypto/NFT space.
Cody Zeller
Cody Zeller spent eight seasons (2013-2021) with Charlotte before becoming a journeyman. He is currently a member of the Atlanta Hawks, although he has yet to see action on the court this season.
Frank Kaminsky
A rookie during Charlotte's playoff run in the 2015-16 campaign, Frank Kaminsky has been out of the league since 2023. However, he appears determined to make an NBA comeback, joining the Toronto Raptors' G League affiliate, the Raptors 905, this season.
Marvin Williams
Marvin Williams retired in 2020, and his post-NBA life has apparently been as quiet as his 15-year NBA career. After returning to the Hornets in 2022 as a player development coach, he has once again been largely out of the public eye.