The Charlotte Hornets had both a surprisingly successful and underwhelming season all in one. The young, up-and-coming squad went on both extended winning and losing streaks at various points throughout the 2021-22 NBA season.
They began the year with an encouraging 5-2 start before running into a five-game losing streak. They immediately followed that up with five straight dubs. They reached a 28-22 record after a tight win over the Los Angeles Lakers, but then dropped six in a row after that.
Ultimately, their streakiness kept them short of a guaranteed playoff spot, but they did notch enough victories to sneak into the Play-In Tournament. They ended up getting blown out of the water by the Atlanta Hawks to wrap up their brief postseason appearance.
There were plenty of silver linings in their rollercoaster of a season, though. LaMelo Ball improved upon an impressive rookie campaign, with stark improvements in points, rebounds, assists, and 3-point shooting percentage. He wowed pundits enough to vote him into the All-Star game, his first of surely many.
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Miles Bridges had a phenomenal season in his own right that saw him finish seventh in Most Improved Player voting with averages of 20.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists with 49 percent shooting from the floor, 33 from deep, and 80 from the stripe.
They also accrued two top-fifteen picks in the upcoming 2022 NBA Draft that they can use to add to their promising young core. They could hit with both the 13th and 15th picks and acquire two rookie contributors to aid in their playoff push a la the New Orleans Pelicans last season.
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But instead of taking two rolls in the crapshoot, perhaps the Hornets would be better off trading one of their picks for an established veteran instead.
The 13th selection will hold more trade value, and Charlotte should still be able to land a high-quality rookie at 15.
