Charlotte Hornets has a franchise star on LaMelo Ball, supporting players around it, making explosive top 10 attacks, and three guys, including the ball, averaging 19-20 points per game. increase.
This is a healthy recipe for a positive long-term outlook that will give valuable experience to teams hungry for future success, especially when the organization reaches the postseason.
For the Hornets, who are in the early stages of a fairly long competition, there is a valuable lesson to be learned from observing the Atlanta Hawks’ downfall that failed to take advantage of last season’s Eastern Conference Finals appearances. They are currently in the play-in photo as the 10th seed, so it’s possible they’re looking out during this year’s playoffs.
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It’s not uncommon for young teams to establish themselves aggressively first before completing their skills the following year, and Hornets are now seeing the challenge. They will need to spend an off-season diversifying their teams for the 2022-2023 season to avoid the Hawks situation in the coming years.
This means designing and applying a cautious step-by-step approach where the front office is constantly considering adding pieces to the team. In Atlanta, the depth of the roster ultimately had a negative impact on the team, as they realized they were on the bench too many minutes worth of players and couldn’t boost their morale.
With many young players appearing in Charlotte in the form of James Boonite, JT Thor, and Kai Jones, it’s important to have the space and time available for these players to grow. am.
This means that changes will need to be made around the core of the team, such as leaving Mason Plumlee when Jones is ready to embark on a more lasting role. This could mean leaving Cody Martin on average close to 27 minutes per game this season when Bouknight is ready to become a full-fledged rotation player. Or, if Miles Bridges is ready to take a leap forward and begins to handle most of the attacks, it could mean leaving Kelly Oubre. After all, that’s not out of the question, given that he is predicted to be the third best player in the league.
It leads us to another emphasis. Hawks fused youth with veteran leadership to sign a pair of Bogdan Bogdanovich and Trae Young, but with John Collins, De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish who could fill those minutes. It is already on the list. Knicks as a direct result of wanting the opportunity to play.
Charlotte needs to move the line better on toes than on the Hawks. This is because we are willing to identify players who believe the Hawks will be a long-term option early on and trigger players who move around the core.
To fans, it may sound like the ultimate “natural” point, but for small market teams, it’s been a long time for rotation players, either because of a reduction in transaction value or lack of alternatives. Tends to stay. Buddy Hield spent about three years with Kings. This is a clear example of a situation that should have been resolved sooner.
In addition, finding the right time to make a transaction can be complicated. Should the team be ready to devote themselves to a good inexperienced second year player with a good 10-game stretch, knowing that such a production can be a fluke? Are their young players really best suited for an additional season bench role before it is wise to hit them as a starter? Or, instead, aren’t they playing enough of a young man who clearly deserves them?
These are questions that teams always ask themselves, and it’s not always easy to know. Take the Chicago Bulls as an example. They started rookie Ayo Dosunmu in 30 games this season, which was inevitable at first, but he turned out to be good at that role. Before the start of the season, Dosunmu’s expected level was that he probably wouldn’t play more than 10 minutes per game, but he proved he could handle more through solid production.
These are situations that need to be identified, just as the Hornets need to identify the opposition of a mysterious person and know when to shrink.
Watch the progress of victory
Bringing together the winning team is one of the hardest things to do in the NBA, and we’re considering balancing it again. If the players are given a considerable number of years together, it has not submitted the results in court, even at the expense of talent, the deal for conformance becomes even more important.
Orlando Magic spent six seasons pairing with Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier. And there are two first round exits to show that. In the end, they demolished it all to start over. And it suggests that they are still a few years away from making a lot of noise.
For the Hornets, that’s a little different, but the Magic example remains relevant. Having a clear franchise player in Ball will undoubtedly make Magic an unprecedented ceiling razor. However, it is quite possible that Gordon Hayward, who turns 32, will peak in late March and will get a little worse year by year. It’s no wonder that 28-year-old Terry Rozier has the same trade value as ever. He now takes into account the big picture of optimizing assets and keeping the team on a similar age curve.
But most importantly, the Hornets need to make this valuable to key players. They need to see and perceive their progress year after year, which allows them to approach the great powers.
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