Projected 2022 NBA Rating: 2.5 stars (4.0 stars potential) Charlotte Hornets’ second-year forward, P.j. Still, Ball played well enough to win the Rookie of the Year award honors, and he looks to be a key centerpiece for his team’s future.Įxpected 2022 NBA Role: Starting guard on the Charlotte Hornets When he returned from injury, he wasn’t quite the same, as he struggled with his outside shot in the second half of the year, and he didn’t play well at all in his team’s play-in tournament game loss to the Pacers. He showed off a much-improved shot selection as he excelled as a shooter and scorer, as well as strong playmaking and rebounding skills. LaMelo Ball had a very good rookie season, as he had a strong first half, and he looked to be the clear Rookie of the Year favorite before getting hurt midway through.

Projected 2022 NBA Rating: 3 stars Charlotte Hornets’ rookie point guard, LaMelo Ball played very well this past season, and he was named the 2020-21 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year this year. He did get hurt and missed some time, and struggled a bit on the defensive end, but Hayward had a sizable impact on his team this year.Įxpected 2022 NBA Role: Starting small forward on the Charlotte Hornets He especially excelled on offense, as his strong shooting, scoring, and playmaking skills helped his team win far more games than anticipated. Hayward played well to help get his team to the play-in tournament. Charlotte Hornets’ star forward, Gordon Hayward played very well when healthy, as he averaged roughly 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists per game, and he also made 41% of his threes to help lead his team to the play-in tournament this year.Ģ021 (CHO): 44 GP, 19.6 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 4.1 APG, 47 FG%, 41 3PT%, 84 FT%, 58 TS%, 17.6 PER, 3.5 WS. In answering whether or not if they can get their young players to continue to progress and develop and be a better team than they were last year, the Hornets passed those tests with flying colors. The Hornets played poorly against the Pacers in the play-in tournament, so they got knocked out and eliminated, but they had a much better than anticipated season overall. When LaMelo Ball returned, he wasn’t able to shoot nearly as well as he did before, but the Hornets were barely able to cling on to get a spot in the play-in tournament. Injuries started to hit their team, and they slid down from being a mid-tier playoff level team with LaMelo and Hayward out. Their young players continued to improve for the most part, and Gordon Hayward played at an All-Star caliber level. They got off to a great start, and rookie point guard, LaMelo Ball played much better than expected, as he ended up winning the Rookie of the Year award. This past year, the Charlotte Hornets had a surprisingly solid season under head coach, James Borrego.

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