In the past 10 years, they have made the playoffs only twice. All were eliminated in the first round. Championship? Of course not. They haven’t even made the playoffs since 2016. It hasn’t been since 2002 that it hasn’t advanced to the second round in the playoffs.
This season’s standings are at the bottom of the league.
The Charlotte Hornets lost 107-131 to the Memphis Grizzlies on the 5th (Korean time). At the same time, the Detroit Pistons won 122-119 over the Golden State Warriors, and the rankings of the two teams were reversed.
With this loss, Charlotte officially fell to the bottom of the league. A series of trades and contracts that I did not understand before the season, and the ambiguous direction of the team set from the beginning of the season. It is impossible to succeed with this kind of team management in NBA teams that run their teams with clear management.
It was an incomprehensible series of movements.
All fans were shocked when they acquired Gordon Hayward as a free agent in November 2020 for four years and $120 million. He was experiencing a definite downturn in Boston, and above all, Hayward, who showed the worst durability and could not digest the game itself. Four years and $120 million, he invested in Hayward what he would give a pillar of a team.
result? It’s a big failure. He plays only about half a game per season. In the previous two seasons, it wasn’t as bad as when he was playing. Although it may not be the 1st option, it has played the role of the 2nd and 3rd options. However, this season’s record when playing is not good either. Averaged 13.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. The field goal rate is 42.3%, and the 3-point shot success rate is 30%. Very inefficient.
While entrusting the core of the team to such a player, the salary cap was also twisted. Hayward and Rozier eat up more than half of the team’s salary cap. Kelly Oubre Jr. is also taking $12 million. Because of the stakes of these three players, the remaining players can only be filled with role players.
It is also exposing a big problem in the growth of prospects, which can be said to be the core of the rebuilding team. The first-round high-ranking nominated rookie is called the future of the team. From Charlotte’s point of view, these are players that need to be determined and nurtured. However, in the worst slump, their names are not being called.
Let’s start with the 2022 draft. It is a draft in which Charlotte kicked away the luck she had come for herself. Charlotte, who had two first-round picks, succeeded in appointing Jaylen Duren and Mark Williams, who were ranked first and second in the rankings of prospects in the center position, which were usually weak points, as their draft luck coincided.
Charlotte was immediately evaluated as a draft winner. Until they kick themselves out of luck. Through a triangle trade with New York-Detroit, Charlotte sent Duren, the first-choice prospect for the center position, to Detroit, and in return, received one first-round pick and three second-round picks in the lottery nomination protection. 1 unprotected 1st round nomination rights were actually exchanged for 4 2nd round nomination rights, with the market value of Duren likely to be regrettable.
You should never have traded Duren in the first place. I should have been able to take a look at Duren and Williams, and I should have been able to take a look at one of the two players. It’s even funny to assume that the reason Charlotte made this choice was to fully support Mark Williams. Charlotte has played in only 21 games this season for Williams, an ambitious designation, and has played only 12.3 minutes per game. When a prospect is nominated for a weak team, there is only one perk that can be enjoyed: guaranteed playing time. Williams doesn’t even enjoy this at all.
James Bukknight, who was selected in the first round of the 2021 draft, is in a similar situation. He was rated as a shooting guard with potential. He was a player predicted to be around 5th pick in the first round in the local neck draft. Charlotte got this player in the 11th pick.
However, Bukknight has only played 24 games this season, and has played just 14.3 minutes per game. In the first place, the opportunity itself is not guaranteed. It is hard to understand why two-way contract players Bryce McGwans and Theo Maledon are getting more playing time than those who showed great promise and played as top stars during their college days. This is not a problem with the players, but rather a problem with the direction of the team.
It is clear why the aforementioned Duren trade and Williams’ Migiyong leave regrets. The center that Charlotte has been starting for the last two seasons is Mason Plumlee, a veteran center from the 2013 draft who is averaging 8.4 points and 6.8 rebounds for his career. In the first place, at the age of 30, not only does he not have the capacity to grow further, and the skills he shows right away are quite low. It’s not enough to be the starting center for a team. It gives the impression that such a plumlee is trusted only for its career.
A 10-year player, he changed his free-throw shooting hand. Since his free throw success rate in the previous season was 39.2%, he has been shooting free throws with his left hand since this season. It’s a pleasant challenge in a way, but from Charlotte’s point of view, you can’t laugh. He is giving a starter to a player who struggles so much with even the most basic free throw. But, like Shaquille O’Neal, are you showing destructive power from the bottom of the goal enough to rule out the problem of free throws? Not at all. Quite the opposite. All records are well below league average. 토토사이트
Right now, Plumlee is more seasoned than Williams. Of course. The age difference is staggering. However, if Plumlee is appointed and Williams is excluded for the reason that he is skilled right now, this gap will inevitably widen. The team’s future is Williams, not Plumlee. Although it is unreasonable to use Williams as the main player and play for 40 minutes, it may be right to give at least half of the experience. It’s time to think about the direction of player recruitment.
Ramello Ball is clearly a top-tier prospect. However, this is not to say that Charlotte drafted well, but rather that she came in as a blessing. The 2020 draft had a solid top 3. As the two preceding teams nominated Anthony Edwards (Minnesota) and James Wiseman (Golden State), Charlotte nominated the remaining ball. Anyway, there is definitely Charlotte’s credit for the ball entering the pro and adapting well, but it is also unreasonable to see this as the result of Charlotte’s complete scouting.
At their current momentum, Charlotte will surely finish the season at the bottom of the table. We will nominate another high-ranking prospect. It might be a team that embraces super-prospect Victor Wenbenyama. However, such promising growth cannot be guaranteed. Because it is Charlotte, the playing time of these players and the direction of growth are quite ambiguous.
Charlotte, who replaced the manager ahead of the 2022-2023 NBA regular season, even concluded a verbal agreement with Golden State Kenny Atkinson. However, Atkinson suddenly gave up as manager of Charlotte and announced that he would remain as Golden State coach. This is an example of Charlotte’s standing in the league. If doubts about the team’s uncertainty and direction were so great, would someone give up the managerial position, which is said to be the dream of all leaders?
A lot of it is twisted. It’s really frustrating to know where to start. Through various concerns, we have to solve various problems.