The CSL

It was a tumultuous season in Charlotte, the first of the post-Trae era. A season which saw another major star shipped out and a complete shift in team direction was a tough one for Hornets fans and players alike. While the record was poor, the outlook is positive, as the Hornets move forward with their draft picks in hand a some young talent to feel good about. Let’s look at some of the positives from the season, and pretend the bad stuff never happened.
Positives:

- Grant Williams: Williams was acquired in a major shake up that sent divisive big man Stanley Johnson Jr. to Chicago. Williams is just 24-year-old but has already played in some big games with the Kings a few years back, and was primed to take the next step in his career as a franchise’s focal point. He delivered, posting 17.7 points per game, leading the league in rebounding at 12.3 per game, 2.3 stocks while shooting with decent efficiency. He played at a near all-star level, and is locked in for three more seasons after this. The Hornets have to feel really good about what they have in their young power forward.

- Armoni Brooks: In a contract year, Armoni Brooks delivered the best season of his young CSL career. With plenty of opportunity to display his talent, Brooks played 25 minutes per game and played in 77 games, by far the most of his career. He responded by shooting nearly 39% from three on over 7 attempts per game. He’s proven his worth as a rotational shooter, just in time to get paid on the free agency market.

- Olivier Sarr: While Sarr’s production on the court isn’t much to write home about, it’s his development of the court that has Charlotte excited about their rookie center. Sarr is a quality shooter for a big man, though his biggest weakness being that he might not shoot enough. With a +10 scoring and +5 rebounding boost midseason, Sarr will develop into a legitimate threat as a stretch center. Charlotte is thrilled to see how he develops going forward.

- Lottery odds: Perhaps the biggest positive of all, the Hornets ended with the second worst record in the CSL, which means they’ll be tied for the best odds for the #1 overall pick. The potential to pick at the top of the draft is incredibly exciting to the Hornets front office, who have scouted the top of the draft meticulously hoping to land their next big franchise star. The team has identified who they believe is the best player in the draft, and hope to be given the chance to make him a Hornet in just a few short weeks.

A big overhaul in Charlotte but the core of the team already takes shape.
Williams, Sarr and Brooks are nice starting pieces, not to mention Ant!

Add to that a potential top 3 pick and the Hornets could be back in play much faster than expected!

With them a division rival we will have a close look at their progress and hope we can stay ahead