Currently 23-19 in the Eastern Conference, the Charlotte Hornets have emerged as one of the young, more promising looking teams in the entire NBA this season. Led by last season’s Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball, veteran forward Gordan Hayward and fourth-year forward Miles Bridges, the Hornets have established themselves as one of the best offensive teams in the entire league.
Charlotte currently ranks third in the league in offensive rating, pace of play and three-point shooting percentage, but the Hornets’ struggles this year have been on the defensive-end of the floor.
The Hornets are surrendering 115.5 points per game to their opponents, the second-worst in the entire NBA, and as a team, the Hornets rank 27th in the league in defensive rating. Finding ways to get better defensively is going to be the key for this young team’s chances of making the playoffs for the first-time since 2016 and their problems lie in the frontcourt.
Replacing Cody Zeller with Mason Plumlee was a big step in the right direction for the Hornets this past offseason, but Plumlee is not much of an impactful defensive player. Averaging 7.0 rebounds per game, 4.7 of which coming on the defensive-end of the floor, Plumlee’s impact has been felt, but the Hornets need more.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 3 Intriguing Centers Named Potential Hornets Trade Targets
Third-year forward PJ Washington has stepped up at times this season to help in the rebounding category and he looks to be a promising young talent moving forward.
However, Washington could end up being the guy that gets leveraged at the trade deadline to get the Hornets what they need in the frontcourt.
According to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, the Hornets are facing a “roster crunch” right now and they could run into cap issues down the road given all the young talents that will need new contracts.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 3 Intriguing Centers Named Potential Hornets Trade Targets
Miles Bridges is going to get paid in-full this upcoming summer and LaMelo Ball will be extension-eligible before we know it, which is why PJ Washington could end up being the “odd-man-out” in Charlotte.
Being an impactful power-forward who can also play the center position, Washington is expected to draw trade interest around the league. The Charlotte Hornets need to try and add a really impactful big man to their roster at the deadline, one that can hopefully help out defensively, which is why they should target one of these three players in trade talks centered around PJ Washington.
