Fansided

NBA: 5 most improved teams in 2014-15

By Gerald Bourguet

Sep 26, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during media day at Cleveland Clinic Courts. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 26, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during media day at Cleveland Clinic Courts. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
NBA
Dec 21, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA; The Charlotte Bobcats unveil their new branding logo as the Charlotte Hornets for the 2014 season at halftime during the game against the Utah Jazz at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Charlotte Hornets:
2013-14 Record: 43-39

Little known fact about the Charlotte Bobcats last season: They were a top-five defense in the league, holding opponents to 97.1 points per game (fourth) and 103.8 points per 100 possessions (fifth). Well known fact about the Bobcats: nobody gave a damn because they were too busy lauding Al Jefferson’s impressive season for an offense that averaged 96.9 points per game (23rd). Something tells me that adding an excellent two-way player like Lance Stephenson will help with that imbalance.

The new team name, logo, court and jersey design will “bring back the buzz,” but having one of the better rosters in the Eastern Conference certainly won’t hurt either.  Losing Josh McRoberts is a tough blow since he was such a versatile player and had a great year shooting the ball, but Charlotte is hoping Marvin Williams can help fill the role of stretch-four. If Michael Kidd-Gilchrist can improve his jumper and rookies Noah Vonleh and P.J. Hairston can contribute off the bench, this could be a dark horse in the East.

These Charlotte Hornets will not only pass the eye test in their slick new uniforms, but they should also boost their win total from last season by quite a few games. Winning 50 games is not out of the question here. Although that might be a best-case scenario, at the very least Charlotte will be in the mix for home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

Home/Charlotte Hornets