The 2024-25 Charlotte Hornets’ Season Preview
September 1st, 2024
by Alan Lu
The Charlotte Hornets had a tumultuous 2023-24 season under then head coach Steve Clifford, as they had an injury-plagued season from one-time All-Star LaMelo Ball, their team struggled considerably on both sides of the ball, and the Hornets went 21-61 and missed the playoffs. They did have a very good rookie season from Brandon Miller, and Miles Bridges returned to play last season.
This season, the Hornets will be hoping for a healthy, full season from LaMelo Ball, and for their young players to make significant gains in their game. Also, new head coach Charles Lee will take the reins to lead the Hornets this time, and the Hornets will hope to build some positive momentum as the season progresses.
LaMelo Ball has been an exciting playmaker when healthy, but he is an oft-injured star guard that only played 22 games last season, and the Hornets went 21-61 in the 2023-24 NBA regular season.
(Photo: Erik Verduzco/Associated Press)
Star Players:
G-F LaMelo Ball
LaMelo Ball is an exciting, playmaking point forward that was one of the best young players in the NBA before he got hurt last season. He was able to come back, but he wasn’t able to quite have the same impact that he had in previous years. Still, he is a tremendous playmaker that can elevate the play of everyone else around him. The next challenge for him will be to get his team to the playoffs, but even still, he is a very skilled player that is the Hornets’ cornerstone, franchise player, and they will build around both now and for the foreseeable future.
Additions:
G-F Josh Green, F Tidjane Salaün, F-C Taj Gibson, F-C Moussa Diabaté, and G KJ Simpson
They get a solid 3 and D role player in Josh Green, who was on last year’s Dallas team that made it to the 2024 NBA Finals, so Charlotte is getting a battle-tested veteran with solid playoff experience. Tidjane Salaun is a tremendously athletic but raw and unproven forward that will be looking for playing time to grow and develop as a player, and he has upside in spades, and Taj Gibson is a veteran forward that can play defense and will help mentor the younger players on this team.
Moussa Diabate is a very athletic forward that can provide energy and has shown some promise on both ends of the floor. KJ Simpson is a steady, reliable playmaker that can efficiently run the point, and he could end up seeing some minutes on this team towards the end of the season.
Subtractions:
F-C Aleksej Pokusevski, F-C JT Thor, F Dāvis Bertāns, G Bryce McGowens, and G Amari Bailey
It’s really surprising that Charlotte would decide to let Pokusevski, Thor, and McGowens go, as they are a rebuilding team that could use all of the young, upside players possible on their roster. Especially since Pokusevski and Thor are tall, very athletic skinny big men that have shown flashes of solid two-way potential, and Bryce McGowens is a long, athletic wing that has shown 3 and D potential.
While Davis Bertans has made the most impact amongst them in the NBA so far with his sharpshooting prowess, it’s understandable that Bertans would want to play for a more playoff-ready team instead. In addition, they didn’t bring back Amari Bailey, not even on a Two-Way contract, which is a bit surprising since he is a 20-year old, 2023 second round draft pick that could’ve used some more development time, despite not playing well in limited stretches last year in the NBA.
Rookies:
F Tidjane Salaün and G KJ Simpson
Tidjane Salaun is a very athletic forward that projects into a 3 and D role, but he will need to be a more consistent shooter and will need to tighten up his handles. That said, he is an intriguing prospect that has a lot of upside. KJ Simpson is a smart, skilled point guard that did just about everything well in college basketball last season, and while there may not be any one thing that jumps out about his game, he’s a steady, solid role player that could end up getting significant playing time towards the season’s end.
Expected Rotation:
Brandon Miller had a solid rookie season, and will look to build off of that for the upcoming season.
(Photo: Jacob Kupferman/Associated Press, via WBTV)
The Hornets’ starting lineup could depend heavily on Ball staying healthy. They underperformed significantly and played poorly on both sides of the ball last year, but their solid talent level in the starting five will allow them to be competitive this season. Also, Brandon Miller is an athletic, sharpshooting forward that could be a rising star for the Hornets.
Projected Starting Lineup:
Key Bench Players:
Grant Williams will be an integral role player on the Charlotte Hornets for the 2024-25 NBA season.
(Photo: Bob DeChiara/USA Today Sports, via CBS Sports)
The Hornets have Grant Williams to anchor their bench, and he is a solid 3 and D guy that has proven himself to be an upper-tier defender in this league, although sometimes his mouth and penchant for talking too much can get him into trouble. They also have a slew of young guys that will look to step up this year.
G Tre Mann
G-F Cody Martin
The Rest of the Roster:
F-C Taj Gibson
G KJ Simpson (Two-Way)
F-C Moussa Diabaté (Two-Way)
G-F Keyontae Johnson (Two-Way)
Team Options at the End of the 2025 Season:
Here I will project the likelihood of the Charlotte Hornets to pick up and accept or decline the team options for various players at the end of the 2025 season.
Brandon Miller – Team Option Will Likely Be Accepted (100% Certainty)
Mark Williams – Team Option Will Likely Be Accepted (100% Certainty)
Nick Smith Jr. – 50/50, Leaning Towards It Will Be Accepted (50% Certainty)
Vasilije Micic – 50/50, Leaning Towards It Will Be Declined (50% Certainty)
Head Coach:
Charles Lee has a prestigious pedigree and a strong coaching background that should help the Hornets get more wins in 2025 than they were able to get in the 2023-24 season.
(Photo: Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe, via Boston.com)
Charles Lee
2023-24 (BOS): Assistant coach, Celtics won the 2024 NBA championship
Coaching Career: 0-0, 0-0 in the NBA Playoffs
Charles Lee was an assistant coach on the 2021 Milwaukee Bucks’ championship team, as well as the 2024 Boston Celtics that won the NBA championship, so he will bring those valuable experiences with him to coach the Charlotte Hornets for the upcoming season.
NBA Head Coach Rank: 22
Outlook:
Miles Bridges and LaMelo ball will lead the Charlotte Hornets into the 2024-25 NBA season.
(Photo: Nell Redmond/Associated Press, via CLTure)
The Charlotte Hornets were not very good last season, but that can be somewhat excused as Ball missed a lot of time due to injuries. Fortunately for them, Brandon Miller was one of the standout rookie performers in 2024. Still, the Hornets were not good on either side of the ball, but on the plus side, they brought in Charles Lee to help change their fortunes for the better. The Hornets might play a bit better than expected, and they will contend for a spot in the play-in tournament, but in the competitive Eastern Conference, they might end up barely missing out on the playoffs.
Projected 2024-25 Finish:
Expected Win-Loss Record: 30-52
Projected Regular Season Finish: 11th in the Eastern Conference
Expected Playoff Finish: Projected to miss the playoffs
Preseason NBA Power Ranking: 25
I went to Basketball-Reference and SalarySwish to look up some information for this write-up. It will be an exciting basketball season this year, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the season will unfold. Anyways, that is my write-up on my preview of the 2024-25 Charlotte Hornets. Thanks for reading.