Where Do the Hornets' Starters Rank League-Wide?
Everybody loves rankings. Let's rank the Hornets. I dumped every starter (according to Hoops Hype with some tweaking of how I think things will play out) into one of five categories. Elite, star, above average-starter, average starter, or below-average starter, and ranked them from there.
Here's how I believe the Hornets starters rank among their peers.
LaMelo Ball
9th best point guard - star tier. (Just behind Shai-Gilgeous Alexander and Damian Lillard, just ahead of Darius Garland and Tyrese Halliburton)
Honestly, the tier of Garland, Ball, and Haliburton are interchangeable depending on what you value in your point guard. If you value a consistent ball-handler and a to-the-book playmaker at your one, Tyrese Haliburton is your guy. If you value consistent scoring from all three levels and solid distribution, Darius Garland is your guy. If you value a mix of those two plus flashy playmaking and knock-down shooting from all over the floor, LaMelo is your guy.
Each of these three has the chance to break into the upper crust of NBA point guards, but in my opinion, LaMelo is truly on the brink of superstardom. On the floor, Ball plays with an infectious joy that a team can rally around. Off the floor, he’s an international brand and one of the most marketable players in the league. He’s 9th right now behind a stalwart in Lillard and SGA (whose leap last year is a good outline for what to expect from Ball in 2023-24), and it wouldn’t surprise me a bit if Ball jumped from the “elite” tier to the “superstar” tier.
Terry Rozier
23rd best shooting guard - below-average starter tier. (Just behind Devin Vassel and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, just ahead of Jaden Ivey and Grayson Allen)
At this point, you know exactly what you’re getting with Terry Rozier. Right around 20 points, 35%ish from deep, solid ball handling, with decent play-making from a two-guard. You are also getting someone who is undersized for the position playing off LaMelo Ball, and someone who can be erratic with the ball at times.
In a perfect world, Rozier would be a dynamite sixth man who can run a second unit and be a microwave scorer off the bench (think Jordan Clarkson or Lou Williams), but he currently fills a bigger role than that in Charlotte. It won’t be long until Brandon Miller usurps his starting role, but for now, Rozier is the leading man at the two.
Gordon Hayward
17th best small forward - average starter tier. (Just behind Jaden McDaniels and Josh Hart, just ahead of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Lugentz Dort)
For a good stretch of his career, Gordon Hayward could easily have had a case to be a top ten (7? 8?) small forward. Now, he’s oft-injured, less explosive, and frankly just not as good as he once was. Hayward can still score in bunches from all over the floor at times. He can still be a hub on the wing that an offense can run though.
However, like Rozier, I think he’s more of a super sub at this point in his career. His body can’t hold up to playing 30+ minutes a night, but he would thrive as a spark plug and veteran leader off the bench. Also like Rozier, he’s keeping the seat warm for somebody, but in the meantime, he slots in as a solid, yet unspectacular option in the Charlotte starting lineup.
PJ Washington
19th best power forward - average starter tier. (Just behind Keegan Murray and Jabari Smith, just ahead of Grant Williams and Patrick Williams)
Putting Washington at 19 is really splitting hairs. He could be as high as 15 and as low as 22 in my opinion. Regardless, I slotted Washington in the “above-average starter” tier. The veteran forward has everything in his toolbox that you want a starting power forward to do in the modern NBA.
He can be a knockdown shooter at times. He can finish around the rim. He’s a solid defender at multiple positions. He’s shown the ability to defend quicker guards and bang in the paint with the big fellas.
His negatives are that he lacks elite length and struggles to rebound for someone whose main position is power forward, and that’s what knocks him down the rankings for me a bit.
Mark Williams
21st best center - average starter tier. (Just behind Steven Adams and Wendell Carter, just above Nikola Vucevic and Ivica Zubac)
This is the lowest Mark Williams will be in his career. If there is one Hornet primed for a big breakout, it’s the second-year man from Duke. Williams flashed his elite rim-protection ability early and often in Charlotte, and that skill is incredibly valuable in the layups and threes NBA world we live in.
On offense, he is the perfect running mate for LaMelo Ball as a big body to set screens and finish lobs from the flashy playmaker.
If Williams can develop his jump shot (which we saw in college), he has top-ten center potential.
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