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The 2020-21 NBA season is a few weeks away and training camp is underway and the Charlotte Hornets are looking to keep up with the rapidly improving Southeast Division. The Miami Heat are fresh off an NBA Finals appearance, the Atlanta Hawks had one of the best free agent hauls in the NBA over the offseason, and the Washington Wizards will benefit from the return of John Wall. Charlotte hopes rookie guard LaMelo Ball can be the centerpiece of its franchise needs, and we’re about to find out whether he can live up to the hype. Here we’re going to take a look at the Hornets’ offseason, plus look ahead to the 2020-21 season.
2020 offseason
Key additions
LaMelo Ball, PG (draft)
Gordon Hayward, SF (free agency)
Vernon Carey, C (draft)
Key losses
Nicolas Batum, SF, (waived)
Dwayne Bacon, SF (free agency)
Willy Hernangomez, C (free agency)
2020-21 odds
Title odds: +40000
Win percentage: O/U 36.5
LaMelo Ball ROTY odds: +400
2020-21 roster
Depth Chart
PG: Devonte’ Graham, LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, Malik Monk
SG: Terry Rozier, Caleb Martin, Malik Monk, Devonte Graham
SF: Gordon Hayward, Miles Bridges, Cody Martin, Caleb Martin, Jalen McDaniels
PF: PJ Washington, Miles Bridges, Jalen McDaniels, Javin DeLaurier
C: Cody Zeller, Bismack Biyombo, Vernon Carey Jr., Nick Richards, PJ Washington
Roster battles
Backup C: Vernon Carey Jr. vs. Bismack Biyombo
6th man: Miles Bridges vs. Terry Rozier
Fantasy basketball
Best Sleeper
PJ Washington — Washington shocked the world by shooting lights out from beyond the arc as a rookie and the Hornets don’t have much depth at power forward. Miles Bridges has transitioned to being a small forward and will take a back seat to Hayward this year.
Likely Bust
Terry Rozier — It seemed like Charlotte could be leaning toward starting three guards before Hayward got signed, but now the Hornets have three scorers who could put up 20 points on any given night. Charlotte needs a playmaker who can create shots for others at a high level. Graham averaged a team-high 7.5 assists per game while averaging a team-high 18.2 points. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rozier was moved to make room for Ball to run the show.