The NBA playoffs are in full swing, and the Charlotte Hornets are once again watching from home. It's not a new experience for Hornets fans, given that the team's last playoff appearance came back in the 2015-16 season. But that doesn't make it any less frustrating.
We can always point to health as one of the main reasons for Charlotte's continued playoff drought, which is now the longest active one in the NBA. But other factors are at play, and roster depth is one of them. As the Hornets look around the league at teams that have made improvements in short order, there are a few examples that stand out as models to follow.
Two of the first that come to mind being the Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets. Both squads have added proven veterans to put around their young pieces that would help grow their team culture and be able to provide rock-solid on-court contributions. The Hornets have a few of these types of players (Grant Williams, Miles Bridges), but they could stand to add another.
One guy that could really excel in this role in Charlotte who has experience on multiple championship rosters is Jrue Holiday. If the Boston Celtics are looking to cut costs this summer to avoid the second apron penalties, it's possible they could opt to move on from Holiday, who's perhaps less important to their process than he used to be considering Payton Pritchard's excellent season.
Jrue Holiday could help change the Hornets' culture
Out of all the veteran guards with championship experience, why Holiday, you might ask? It's not that he's leagues better than some other guys who play a similar style at this point in his career, but there's certainly the Charles Lee connection to think about. Holiday was in the same locker room with Lee during his tenure as an assistant in both Milwaukee and Boston.
Then there's Holiday's defensive impact to consider. The Hornets need more perimeter defenders without a doubt, but Jrue could provide greater impact than just being a reliable force on that end of the floor. One would think that his veteran presence and approach to winning would have a great chance of elevating LaMelo Ball's game, and of encouraging others to level up their commitment to defense as well.
Looking at Holiday's contract, he's currently under contract with Boston for two more seasons before he has a player option for the 2027-28 season. He's earning north of $30 million per year, which is a lot to consider trading for if you're Charlotte. But at the same time, you don't have many moves to make this summer that jump off the page as a whole lot better.
We've seen the kind of impact these tenured players have had for lottery teams looking to get off the ground and make the postseason. The Pistons just went from a 14-win team to winning a playoff game in only one season. If the Hornets want a chance of replicating their success, they should think about giving the Celtics a call with a serious proposal.