Which Hornet Enters 2024-25 Under the Most Pressure?

LaMelo Ball went from face of the franchise to the center of everyone's concern.

The future in Charlotte appears to be bright. New ownership is in place, along with a new head coach, GM, and a talented young core to build around. That being said, there's also a lot of question marks surrounding the Hornets as they enter year one under this new regime.

For this week's fan poll, we asked which Hornet is under the most pressure in 2024-25. LaMelo Ball was the fans' top choice and by a landslide, collecting 82.9% of the votes. Brandon Miller received 8.9% of the votes, while Mark Williams finished with 8.2%.

This week's fan poll: Who will have the most pressure on them next season? #Hornets

— Charlotte Hornets On SI (@SI_Hornets) July 31, 2024

As far as the "winner" of this poll, I think the fans got it right. Ball has missed so much time due to injury that he's teetering on the edge of receiving the "injury prone" label. His absence has been a major reason why the Hornets have struggled to at minimum, court a competitive team. When he's healthy, he's one of the league's most-feared guards because of his length, handle, and shooting ability. If he spends the majority of this season on the bench watching, it will put the Hornets' front office in a tough position.

I expected Mark Williams to receive the second-most votes because back issues for bigs are a major red flag. The organization feels good about where he's at, but those things can pop up again and cause further damage. At the same time, I can see why Brandon Miller edged him out.

After a stellar rookie campaign, he's getting attention from everyone in the NBA and most believe he's the key to the Hornets doing something special, more so than LaMelo Ball. Can Miller go from really good to great? How will he respond to the adjustments that teams will have made on him? Can he handle being "the guy" for an entire season? Only time will tell.

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