Hornets Roundtable: What does a successful season look like for Charlotte?

Laying out what needs to happen for the Charlotte Hornets to feel good about the 2024-25 campaign.

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

For this week's Charlotte Hornets On SI roundtable, our team discusses what has to happen in order for the Hornets to feel good about this season.

Ali Jawad

LaMelo Ball stays healthy and takes another step towards stardom by replicating his 2022 All-Star campaign. Brandon Miller builds off an impressive rookie campaign going into year two, and Mark Williams stays healthy and continues to develop as a reliable starting center. Reaching around 30 wins (or slightly surpassing their projected win total) while remaining competitive in most games would demonstrate progress. Even if they don't make the playoffs, fighting for a play-in spot towards the end of the season would signify a significant step forward. Overall, the focus should be on player development, building a winning foundation, and showing tangible progress compared to the previous season.

Carson Cash

A healthy (and productive) season of Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball. The Hornets need to see the duo they will be building around for the future demonstrate their ability to compliment each other and provide flashes of a good team. They don't need to win 40 games for it to be considered a successful season, but they do need to fight for a play-in spot. For me the flat criteria would be: Tidjane Salaün looking promising in limited minutes, Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball play well together (one of them push for All-Star status ), and the Hornets win 30-35 games.

Drew Cook

A successful season for the Hornets looks a lot like ankle braces. Finally, after an incredibly frustrating battle with tendinopathy, LaMelo Ball has made the necessary concessions that should ensure he sees much more playing time this year. With a new training staff to accommodate the team as well, the Hornets should be able to rid themselves of the dreaded injury bug in 2024. Brandon Miller is set up well to build upon his impressive rookie campaign and the summer season has been kind to Tidjane Salaün, suggesting that the stars have begun to align in Charlotte. Don’t expect a major turn around, but a healthier and more robust season is on the way for the Hornets. For once, this young roster has some optimism surrounding it, something that could not have existed so long as Ball remained tentative about his comfort while playing in braces.

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