New York and Charlotte Offseason guides

The New York Knicks have already had a productive offseason. They acquired Mikal Bridges from the Nets in exchange for a slew of first round picks. They signed OG Anunoby to a 5-year 212.5 million dollar deal. They now have a ton of depth on the wings and roster overall, an issue they had a year ago. The Knicks were knocked out of the 2024 postseason after falling to the Indiana Pacers in 7 games. The Knicks suffered a ton of injuries throughout the postseason. They lost Mitchell Robinson, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Julius Randle before the Pacers series. In the Pacers series, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart were injured and the team was unable to sustain these losses. The plus side to all of this is the Knicks are a really good team and they proved it in the postseason. 

Jalen Brunson was arguably the best player in the beginning of the postseason. The guard ripped off 6 straight 40 points games against the 76ers and Pacers. He was unbelievable in every single game. He dominated any guard that was in front of him. He terrorized any switch that was thrown his way. He was great at finishing around the basket, mid range, and three point line. He drew a ton of fouls and got to the free throw line at an exceptional rate. He proved himself as a number 1 guy and someone the Knicks can win a championship with. 

This offseason the Knicks have decided that right now is their window to try and pursue a championship. They traded 5!!! First round picks for Mikal Bridges, who is, in many people’s eyes, the best role player in the NBA. He’s never made an All-Star team, or All-NBA team and hasn’t made an All-Defensive team in the last two years, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. He’s the best 3 and D wing in the NBA and has some off the bounce juice to help provide some scoring, something he demonstrated at a high level when he was with the Nets. They have one of the more talented starting lineups in the league that fit together like a hand and glove. A notable issue they will have is bringing back big man Isaiah Hartenstein and they are already pressed against the tax threshold with 172 million dollars in committed salary. Hartenstein was really good for the Knicks in the postseason. He brought a ton of energy nightly and finished well around the basket and in the restricted area. 

It’s hard to understand how good the Knicks could be next season considering the injuries they had in the postseason. Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, who were bench players during the regular season, were  asked to be the second and third best players in the playoffs. The Knicks now possess two of the best 3 and D players in the NBA with Bridges and Anunoby. The best part about both these players is they can put the ball on the floor better than 95% of the 3 and D players. Both can create their own offense when needed. The starting lineup of Brunson, Bridges, Anunoby, Robinson, and Randle can now rival some of the better teams in the league. With Hart and DiVincenzo coming off the bench they have much more depth now if they can stay healthy throughout the season. Overall, the Knicks now have a complete roster with loads of talent. Getting and staying healthy will be key for them next season. Unlike most trades the Knicks won’t have issues with chemistry because many of the players already have played with each other. Hart, Brunson, Bridges, and DiVincenzo all played and won at least one national championship while playing together at Villanova. They have a layer of chemistry that is unmatched in the NBA and a big reason why most people shouldn't feel alarmed by the amount of first round picks they gave up. Overall, the Knicks have upgraded their roster considerably since the start of the offseason and added some young talent in the draft. They have an intriguing team going into next season. 

The next team featured is the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets are pretty hard to watch, especially the last two seasons. However, they have a younger core that can develop and show some signs of moving in the right direction. The Hornets, as a team last year, were 28th in offensive rating and 29th in defensive rating resulting in a league worst -10.5 net rating. Despite these numbers, they have two things going well for them in Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball. These two guys are core players for the franchise in their future. Along with them, they have a super young roster with no one in the rotation having over 4 years of NBA experience.. They made some trades at the deadline to take on some bad contracts for draft capital and acquired some young players as well. Miles Bridges, Mark Williams, and Tre Mann are all players that can seek to help Miller and Ball. 

Brandon Miller was selected 2nd overall in the 2023 draft and finished third in rookie of the year voting and was selected to the first team all rookie. Coming out of college, Miller flew up the draft board after an amazing freshman season at Alabama. He was named SEC player and freshman of the year after averaging 20 ppg and shooting above 40% from three at 6’10”. Miller’s rookie season started on a lower note than expected. He had trouble finding his footing early in the year on offense and defense. He had trouble finishing around the basket and inside the three point line. Most notably, he shot only 41.3% from the field in December, but shot 42.5% in the same month from the three point line. He saw his best months of shooting after the all star break. He ended the season shooting 44% from the field and 37.3% from three, along with 82% from the free throw line. He also became a good defender in the process taking on the opponents best offensive player on a couple of occasions and seeing some success. He’s a gifted offensive player at 6’10” and will be someone the Hornets will build around for a long time. 

LaMelo Ball is another special player the Hornets have. He’s their franchise player and the best player on the struggling team. However, he’s been unable to stay healthy as he’s played only 36 and 22 games in the last two seasons, respectively. Overall, in the last three seasons he missed 134 games. This is part of the reason why the Hornets have been struggling. They don’t have their best player on the court. He’s a wizard with the basketball in his hands. He can make every pass in the book at his 6’7” size. He’s quick and possesses great vision, especially in transition. On top of his passing, he’s a good three point shooter on really high volume. Over the last two seasons, when healthy, he’s shooting almost 10 threes a game. A number that is really high in the modern NBA. Personally, I’d like to see Ball’s 3 point attempts hover around 7 or 8 and have the other attempts delegated to his passing. Most importantly, his defense is where he’s struggled the most. I understand he’s not on the roster to guard the better offensive players and this is a team that was 29th in the league last season in defense, but it starts with him. I feel confident that him staying healthy can help improve the Hornets more than any offseason moves can. 

The Hornets offseason will see them making trades for players with bad contracts in exchange for draft capital. They will not be making any huge moves in order to improve their roster from a free agent signing perspective. However, they had a good draft and selected Tidjane Salaum with the 6th overall pick. He’s a 6'9” wing from France and still only 18 years old. He plays hard on both ends of the floor and possesses a 7’2” wingspan. He’s a good three point shooter and he can be someone who’ll pair well with Miller and Ball. Overall, the Hornets need to find some type of footing as the last few seasons have been very bad to watch, but hitting on draft picks, developing their younger players, and making smart front office decisions can see them get into the playoffs over the next 2-3 seasons. On top of adding some younger players, the Hornets hired a new head coach. Charles Lee was named head coach on May 9th. He’s been an assistant coach for ten years now in the NBA and gets his first shot at being a head coach. He’s a creative mind that was one of the reasons why the Celtics were able win the title this past year. He’s young, energetic, and will help the young roster improve and give effort each and every day for the Hornets.  

As always, any news that is released after the article will be recapped prior to the beginning of the season.