Hornets May Have Pivoted at the Right Time with a Tougher Eastern Conference

The Charlotte Hornets are trying to make it back to the postseason for the first time in 10 years. They made progress last year, but the job isn’t finished. And now the goalposts have been moved.

It’s true. We have to face the reality that the East got a lot more challenging in the offseason.

First, let’s start with the big one. We’re talking about the Sixers, who added LeBron James just this past month. Granted, he’s not the LeBron that helped win championships in Miami and Cleveland (and arguably, not even the player he was when he won a title with the Lakers in 2020), but he’s still a living legend who gets things done on the basketball court.

Last year at 41, he averaged 20.9 points per game to go along with 6 rebounds and 7 assists. He can’t take over a game like he used to, but he could be the final piece for Philadelphia, a team that finished 7th in the East last year, to make it back to the top.

Then there is the Miami Heat, a team Charlotte is quite familiar with. Having lost to Buzz City in the play-in game last year, Miami went out by trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Unlike LeBron, here we are talking about a player in the prime of his career. At 31, Giannis is already an MVP and an NBA Champion. Now he’s also motivated as all heck, playing under Heat Culture, a place where mediocrity is never accepted.

And here’s the crazy thing no one talks about with Giannis. While flying under the radar last year on an irrelevant Bucks team, he averaged 33.4 points per game and 15.4 rebounds per game. Both were career highs.

And then, of course, there’s everyone else, including the NBA champion New York Knicks, who, if you recall, finished just third in the East last year. They now return with the confidence of a winner, albeit without their big man Mitchell Robinson, who left town for Boston. The Celtics are no slouches either, having finished second in the conference last season.

And lest we forget about the Detroit Pistons, a team that finished first in the East with 60 wins. Heck, they probably would have won more if not for some bad luck down the stretch of the season. Now the Pistons are healthy, and arguably hungrier than ever to finish their story.

Throw in the Cavs and Raptors, and well, the road ahead is a challenging one for the Hornets, who lost two of their biggest names in LeMelo Ball and Miles Bridges this past summer.

Charlotte may have all the assets to ensure a great future, but as far as the here and now, it might not be smooth sailing ahead.

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