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Charlotte Hornets 2015 NBA season preview

By Cody Williams

Oct 4, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (right) listens to Hornets head coach Steve Clifford (left) during the first half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 4, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (right) listens to Hornets head coach Steve Clifford (left) during the first half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 20, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Charlotte Hornets center Al Jefferson (25) questions referee James Williams (60) after being called for traveling against the Sacramento Kings during the third quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Charlotte Hornets 101-91. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 20, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Charlotte Hornets center Al Jefferson (25) questions referee James Williams (60) after being called for traveling against the Sacramento Kings during the third quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Charlotte Hornets 101-91. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Most Important Games

Selecting the most important games in a season is normally reserved for teams that are going to be in postseason contention, which is something that can’t definitively be said about the Hornets right now. With no real rival to point to in terms of big matchups, that only makes picking important games more difficult. However, operating under the premise of games Charlotte would need to win if they were to make a run at the playoffs, cherry picking important games becomes a bit easier.

One of the biggest stretches for this team in terms of gauging how competitive they’re going to be able to be this season goes from Nov. 25 against the Washington Wizards through Dec. 12 against the Boston Celtics. Those nine games over that stretch will all be against teams that will definitely be in the playoff or that will be in the postseason. Subsequently, how the Hornets perform over that stretch will serve as a barometer of how this team is likely to perform over the course of the entire season.

Let’s say that the Hornets surprise everyone and are playing for a playoff berth at the end of the season. That makes April 3 against the Cleveland Cavaliers and April 5 against the Toronto Raptors huge for the Hornets. There’s a chance that the Hornets’ opponents in those games could be resting players, but picking up those two wins down the home-stretch against playoff-caliber teams would be huge for a potential Charlotte playoff push.

Next: NBA Finals Odds

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