The Hornets believe they can continue to improve as their core of young stars continues to mature. They also know that they still have some holes to fill if they're going to reach the top of the Western Conference.
Though the Hornets were the second-seeded team in the West and reached the brink of the conference finals before losing Games 6 and 7 of their playoff series against the Spurs, getting back to that point, or beyond, won't be easy. "If we sit still, which a lot of teams do every now and then," Hornets coach Byron Scott said, "you could slip from (the No. 2 seed) to 8 real quick. So you've got to try to get better as a group. We put a lot of onus on our players to get better individually."
With point guard Chris Paul, forward David West, and center Tyson Chandler still ascending, the Hornets have the potential to be a perennial contender for some time. But their depth must be improved.
"I think David West said it best by saying that each individual needs to improve," Scott said. "That's absolutely true. We're a very young basketball team. I think Game 7 (against the Spurs) was probably the only game that we showed our youth a little bit.
"There are not a lot of things we need to do. We've got a core of guys who are going to continue to grow together and get better. But we've probably got to add another piece or two, and we have a draft pick. We haven't even sat down yet to start looking at the list of free agents."
The Hornets have just one draft pick, the 27th selection in the first round. Though picking that low will make it difficult for the Hornets to grab a player who will have an immediate impact, a dependable role player could suffice.
"I think the best compliment after the San Antonio series came from (Spurs coach) Gregg Popovich," Scott said. "He said, 'Your time is coming. It's going to come a lot sooner than you think.'
"Because of the young guys we have and their development, we're very excited about the future of this team. We made some gigantic steps this season."
--The Hornets let an opportunity to reach the conference finals slip through their fingers by losing Games 6 and 7 to the Spurs, but they still experienced one of the most dramatic improvements in the NBA.
A year after missing the playoffs with a 39-43 record and three years after an 18-64 disaster, the Hornets won a franchise-record 56 games, their first division title and captured a best-of-seven series for the first time, defeating Dallas, 4-1, in the first round.
"I told our guys that you don't go from missing the playoffs to winning a championship the next season," Coach Byron Scott said. "It doesn't work that way."
The Hornets proved to be a versatile team. They allowed the fifth-fewest points during the regular season, were one of the top three-point shooting teams and often, but not always, were an above-average rebounding team.
One area they would like to improve on is to have better inside-outside offensive balance, allowing them to get to the free-throw line more often.
The emergence of two All-Stars -- point guard Chris Paul and power forward David West -- was augmented by a near-perfect complement of outside shooting -- small forward Peja Stojakovic and shooting guard Morris Peterson -- and an inside presence -- center Tyson Chandler.
The Hornets expect their youthful core -- Paul, West, and Chandler -- to continue to improve. But in order to advance deeper into the post-season, they will have to bolster their bench, which was inconsistent throughout and, at times, an Achilles' heel.
SEASON HIGHLIGHT: The Hornets won six of their first seven playoff games against perennial Western Conference powerhouses Dallas and San Antonio. After beating the Mavericks, 4-1, they won the first two games against the Spurs at home. Though they lost four of the next five, ending their season, the Hornets, playing together in the playoffs for the first time, showed they could handle the pressure and intensity of the playoffs. The experience of going 7-5 in the postseason should prove to be a valuable asset should they earn a similar opportunity next season.
TURNING POINT: After a 29-point thrashing at the hands of the Lakers in early January, the Hornets won 13 of their next 16 games, including a benchmark, 132-130, double-overtime victory at Phoenix, to take the best record in the Western Conference into the All-Star Break. That accomplishment put the Hornets on the national radar and bolstered their confidence, which only grew during a successful All-Star Weekend in New Orleans and afterward.
