Five Keys to a Successful 2024-25 Season for the Hornets

What are the keys for the Hornets to end their playoff drought?

Dec 23, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) celebrates with Miles Bridges after the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Crypto.com Arena. The Hornets defeated the Lakers 134-130. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

It's not unfair to say that the Charlotte Hornets haven't played up to par over the last couple of seasons. In the 2022-23 season, the Hornets held a record of 27-55, but the team saw numerous injuries throughout the year to key players, including LaMelo Ball. Also, the team was without Miles Bridges for the entirety of the year due to legal issues. Last season, as you know, the Hornets dealt with more injuries than they'd ever seen before with Ball making just 22 appearances and starting center Mark Williams only playing in 19 games.

The hope is that this 2024-25 season will be a fresh start for the Hornets with a new coach in place with Charles Lee and new management surrounding the team, as well as a new training staff and players. However, for the season to be a success for the Hornets they're going to need these five things to occur. Let's take a look at them.

1. LaMelo Ball to Play 65+ Games

Jan 24, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) celebrates a three point basket in the second half against the Detroit Piston at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports / Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The most important key to success for the Hornets is undoubtedly LaMelo Ball's health. Ball has been limited across the past two seasons due to numerous ankle injuries, playing in just a combined 58 games in the past two seasons. We all are aware of the talent of Ball and the importance of him being on the court for the Hornets.

In a nine-game stretch in November, Ball averaged 32 points a game, along with 8.7 assists, and 6.7 rebounds. His health is vital for the Hornets path to winning and also was the detriment to the Hornets over the last two seasons due to his inability to stay on the court.

The Hornets desperately need him to play above 65+ games if they want to be remotely competitive this season. In Ball's sophomore campaign, he competed in 75 games and the Hornets had a winning record, which is exactly what the Hornets need from their star player. The Hornets new training staff and Ball's current ankle braces will hopefully do the trick to keep him on the court.

2. Mark Williams to play 65+ Games

Dec 8, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams (5) during pregame warm ups against the Toronto Raptors at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

As previously mentioned, Mark Williams, who is one of the Hornets key young players, only appeared in 19 games last season with a lower back injury. If the Hornets weren't to have Williams on the court, then it would be hard to see them getting anywhere near the playoffs. Williams provides a lot of things for the Hornets, including his ability to rebound, ability to guard the perimeter, protect the paint, while on top of that, being a lob threat for LaMelo Ball.

In the 19 appearances for Williams, he averaged 12.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks on 64.9% shooting from the field. Williams arguably is just as important to the Hornets success as Ball is and considering both played in less than 10 games together last season, them staying healthy could be the key to a solid and better season heading to the Queen City.

3. Brandon Miller Sophomore Improvement

Apr 7, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) looks on during the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-USA TODAY Sports / Scott Kinser-USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Miller made a name for himself in the league in his rookie campaign. Now, Miller will need to continue building upon that season for the Hornets to be competitive this upcoming season. Miller averaged 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 74 appearances last season. The Hornets couldn't have asked for a better rookie year from the 21-year-old.

One of the questions heading into the season will be if he can improve in his sophomore season and if he does, how much of a jump could he make? I believe with new coaching staff in place and a healthy LaMelo Ball, it can only help Miller's game since the attention won't be just on Miller. Having multiple scoring threats in the Queen City with Ball, Bridges, and Miller could be difficult for any defense in the NBA.

4. Hornets Bench to Make a Difference

Apr 10, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann (23) shown on the court prior to the game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

One of the downsides to the Hornets team in the past has been their depth and bench play. As we've seen over the course of the last couple of seasons, a lack of depth could be detrimental in the long run.

With injury blows, it's been difficult to build a sustainable bench. Just a reminder that the Hornets had Ish Smith, Nathan Mensah, and Bryce McGowens coming off the bench for a chunk of games, which is far from ideal.

Jeff Peterson and new management have made that a focal point recently as the Hornets have one of their better built cores off the bench in the last decade. Picking up Grant Williams, Tre Mann, and Vasilije Micic at the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline was a great get from Hornets management, as they're part of the core to come off the bench.

Along with those three, Cody Martin and Nick Richards would most likely join them to fill out the bench. Another underrated impact of the Hornets bench is having veteran leadership with Taj Gibson and Seth Curry, which is something the Hornets have most definitely lacked. Don't forget Hornets rookie Tidjane Salaun, who could potentially play a role in the Hornets team later on in the season. The Hornets finished 24th in bench scoring in the 2023-24 season, but with new pieces in place, the hope is that they could be the difference maker.

5. DEFENSE!

Scott Kinser-USA TODAY Sports

Coach Clifford in his second tenure with the Hornets always preached defense, but yet none of the players bought in. Now, I will say that I don't believe all of the blame or fault should go to Clifford because he wasn't the one on the court and he also wasn't dealt great cards with the Hornets roster and injury woes.

Nonetheless, the defense for the Hornets has been horrific and has been a detriment to the team over the years. Bringing in a new voice in Charles Lee, who also preaches defense and effort could be what it takes for the Hornets to get over the hump and end the playoff drought.

The Hornets had the second-worst defensive rating in the NBA with a rating of 119.8, which was just behind the Utah Jazz's 120.4 rating. If Coach Lee can get the team to compete on the defensive end, it could totally change the culture surrounding the team and get Hornets fans and the players to fully embrace the Hornets new DNA.

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