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The 2020-21 NBA season saw the Charlotte Hornets improve by 10 games from the previous season with the arrival of Gordon Hayward and Rookie of the Year Lamelo Ball.
Their rise in the Eastern Conference as a playoff contender was one of the biggest surprises of the 2020-21 campaign. But despite the unmistakable improvement, the Charlotte Hornets could have had an even better season. Had certain factors fallen in their favor, they could have been in the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Here are five things that didn’t go as planned for the Charlotte Hornets.
#5 Charlotte Hornets' offensive struggles
The 2020-21 season showed just how much work the Charlotte Hornets need to do offensively next campaign. They were 23rd in the league in offensive rating (110.1) and in points per game (109.5). Part of the reason is number one on this list but the Hornets could have made up for it with better defense, but they were just mediocre at best in that area (16th in offensive rating).
Additionally, they coughed up the ball 14.8 times, which is seventh-worst in the league.
With so many young players on the Charlotte Hornets roster, these offensive struggles should be expected. But things should change next season with a season under their belts.
#4 Three-point defense
The Charlotte Hornets surrendered the second-most three-pointers to their opponents last season, giving up an average of 14.5 threes per game while also allowing the most three-point attempts per game (39.5). Allowing opponents so shoot and make so many three-pointers was a recipe for disaster and it had everything to do with their decision to surrender threes rather than points in the paint.
However, coach James Borrego’s emphasis in defending the paint made it seem as if defending the three-point arc was merely an option, and not one that also needed his players’ attention. It got so bad late in the season that in their last five games (all losses), they allowed teams to make 39.3 percent of their three-point attempts after giving up just 36.4 percent in the first 67 games of the season.
#3 Charlotte Hornets’ five-game losing streak to end the season
Speaking of their last five games, the Charlotte Hornets absolutely had their worst stretch of the season during those eight days.
During that forgettable five-game stretch, the Charlotte Hornets shot a horrendous 29.6 from beyond the arc (30th in the league) and 41.4 percent overall from the field (29th). Among the biggest culprits for such poor shooting were P.J. Washington, who made just 28.8 percent of his field goal attempts, and Malik Monk, who shot 28.1 percent from the field.
As the team’s point guard, Ball had a lot of say in the team’s horrid showing as well. Having just returned from a wrist injury, Ball shot 36.5 percent from the field, including only 29.2 percent from three.
At the other end, the Charlotte Hornets gave up 115.0 points per game to their opponents and allowed them to make nearly 50 percent (49.7%) of their field goals.
#2 Embarrassing Play-In Tournament loss to the Indiana Pacers
In their final loss of the season, the Charlotte Hornets absorbed a 144-117 drubbing at the hands of the Indiana Pacers in the play-in tournament.
It was an embarrassment of epic proportions as the Charlotte Hornets gave up the most points they had ever surrendered during the 2020-21 season. They also allowed the Pacers to shoot 55.2 percent from the field and 45.7 percent from three-point range.
As for points in the paint, the one thing that the Charlotte Hornets didn’t want their opponents to dominate, the Pacers outplayed them in that area as well (74-56). It was so bad that they trailed Indiana by as many as 39 points.
#1 Injuries to key players
The worst thing that happened to the Charlotte Hornets this season was the injuries to their best players.
LaMelo Ball suffered a wrist fracture that required surgery in the 41st game of his rookie season. The Charlotte Hornets were 20-21 at the time of Ball’s injury. By the time he returned to the court, they were 31-32 and were missing former All-Star Gordon Hayward.
Hayward suffered a right foot sprain in early April and they never saw him suit up again. The Hornets spiraled downwards the moment they lost their fearless leader, going 8-17 in their final 25 games, including their play-in tournament loss.
Almost every NBA team endured injuries to their stars at one time or another. However, the Charlotte Hornets never learned to adapt without their two stars and it essentially doomed their season.
