NBA Preview: Charlotte Hornets Looking To Build Upon Last Season's Success

Michael Jordan is hopeful that the best iteration of the new generation Charlotte Hornets will produce the competitiveness he so long desires. There was the version of the veteran-laden team coached by Larry Brown who produced the sole playoff appearance of the Charlotte Bobcats version. That team had emerging Gerald Wallace, Tyson Chandler, Boris Diaw, Stephen Jackson, Raymond Felton and Larry Brown running the show.

The success was short-lived as Brown resigned and the spare parts of the team shipped of for expiring contracts that led to year after year of losing. Now, the team appears to be headed in the right direction - combining the right mix of youth and veteran leadership that showed some glimpse of hope last year.

Professor Al Jefferson (due to his expertise of the shaded lane and post-up moves) led the team last year to the playoffs and an encouraging seventh-place record of 43-39 but was immediately swept by the Eastern Conference champions Miami Heat. The said exit was understandable given the strength of Miami and the foot injury of Jefferson that limited the big man and even made him miss the deciding game. Aided by the lottery pick from the Detroit Pistons (due to the Ben Gordon trade), the Hornets were able to load up and snatch new free agents, which are the cause for optimism heading into the new season.

Charlotte Hornets Roster/Depth Chart (in bold are the projected starters)

Point Guard: Kemba Walker, Brian Roberts, Gary Neal

Shooting Guard: Lance Stephenson, P.J. Hairston

Small Forward: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Gerald Henderson

Power Forward: Marvin Williams, Noah Vonleh, Jason Maxiell

Center: Al Jefferson, Cody Zeller, Bismack, Biyombo, Brian Qvale

Offseason Additions:

Lance Stephenson, Brian Roberts, Noah Vonleh

Offseason Losses:

Josh McRoberts, Ben Gordon

Season Outlook: Charlotte is looking to equate the return of Hornets name with winning. The continued stabilizing presence of third team All-NBA Al Jefferson still anchors the offense of the Steve Clifford's team. The defensive coach will also be ecstatic to put out one of the best defensive stoppers out there in Kidd-Gilchrist and Stephenson. How much Stephenson will be able to fit into the squad will be the x-factor in the success of the team. The mercurial shooting guard will be pivotal in the success given that he will be tasked with guarding the opponent's best player and do some ball handling duties, similar to his role with his former team, the Indiana Pacers. The former second round pick in the 2013 draft, Kidd-Gilchrist, has also reportedly improved his shooting form and is looking to be a respectable threat in the offense.

The problem would be in how to manage the minutes of the swingman rotation given that Gerald Henderson will be relegated to a sixth man role. It is unclear how much the addition of Stephenson and the courtship of Gordon Hayward will do to the confidence of Henderson. The team will also have to bolster up its power forward spot given the departure of passing big man Josh McRoberts to the Miami Heat. The signing of veteran leader Marvin Williams will cushion some of that impact but what would exponentially help is if the growth of Noah Vonleh will be accelerated.

Expect the team to compete for the 4 to eight spots in the weak East given its competent coaching staff and the stability of a post-up scoring from Jefferson. What pushes them up or down would be the maturity of the young ones and the continued development of Stephenson and of course, Kemba Walker.