Hornets training camp guide: Depth chart breakdown, weaknesses key dates

After going eight months without a game, the Charlotte Hornets finally get back to work this week with training camp.

The Hornets finished their roster Monday night, announcing the re-signing of veteran center Bismack Biyombo and the signing of No. 3 draft pick LaMelo Ball and several other rookies and free agents. The Hornets will have the maximum 20 players allowed by the NBA for training camp at Spectrum Center.

The Hornets can oversee individual workouts Tuesday through Thursday, before group practices can commence Friday. That’s to conform to COVID-19 testing protocols. The first of four preseason games is Dec. 12 (home against the Toronto Raptors) and the NBA season starts Dec. 22 (schedule not yet announced).

What you need to know about the 2020-21 Hornets:

Did the Hornets address their weaknesses?

The biggest flaws last season were shooting and rebounding. They attacked the shooting, but not really the rebounding.

The Hornets were last in the NBA in field-goal percentage and 19th among 30 teams in 3-point percentage. Adding free agent Gordon Hayward — coming off a great shooting season — and rookie Ball — a gifted passer — is sure to help a clunky offense.

However, the Hornets were last in the NBA in defensive-rebound percentage. That is a terrible area to be so unsound, and coach James Borrego has highlighted it as a prime area of need. The Hornets added a couple of big men in the second round — Vernon Carey, Jr., and Nick Richards — but it’s hard to imagine either rookie quickly impacting this failing.

Rebounding becomes a problem for Borrego to try to improve internally with the players who were here last season.

Key dates and Hornets preseason games

▪ First full team practice: Dec. 4

▪ Preseason game vs. Raptors: 7 p.m. Dec. 12 (Fox Sports SE)

▪ Preseason game vs. Raptors: 7 p.m. Dec. 14 (Fox Sports SE)

▪ Preseason game at Magic: 7 p.m. Dec. 17

▪ Preseason game at Magic: 7 p.m. Dec. 19.

▪ NBA season begins: Dec. 22 (schedule not yet announced)

Charlotte Hornets training camp roster

* — Two-way contract

A two-deep?

Depth charts are of limited value assessing basketball rosters because there is so much crossover between positions. But here’s a projection of the Hornets’ positional depth going into training camp:

Point guard: 1. Devonte Graham. 2. Terry Rozier. 3. LaMelo Ball. 4. Grant Riller.

▪ Assessment: The deepest position on this team; so much so that Ball will likely play some shooting guard and small forward to find him additional minutes.

Shooting guard: 1. Rozier. 2. Malik Monk. 3. Cody Martin/Caleb Martin.

▪ Assessment: This is a huge season for Monk, the final one before his rookie-scale contract ends. He has the most unrealized potential on this team.

Small forward: 1. Gordon Hayward. 2. Miles Bridges. 3. Cody Martin/Caleb Martin/Jalen McDaniels. 4. LaMelo Ball.

▪ Assessment: The Hornets are paying Hayward $120 million and stretched Nic Batum’s contract to make this happen. Hayward will to play a ton and small forward is his primary position. Bridges could become the top backup at both forward spots.

Power forward: 1. P.J. Washington. 2. Miles Bridges. 3. Gordon Hayward. 4. Jalen McDaniels.

▪ Assessment: Washington had a terrific rookie season. Borrego has shown he’s receptive to playing small-ball, which could work to this roster’s strength.

Center: 1. Cody Zeller. 2. P.J. Washington. 3. Bismack Biyombo. 4. Vernon Carey’Nick Richards.

▪ Assessment: The question here is how much conventional centers play this season. Using forward Washington part-time at center will happen.

Fans in the stands for Hornets games?

The Hornets announced Monday they will start this season without admitting fans at home games. That decision was made in consultation with government officials.

The team hopes circumstances will change during the season, allowing at least some limited attendance at Spectrum Center. The NFL Carolina Panthers and college football teams in North Carolina are allowed to have some fans (up to 7% of stadium capacities), but the COVID-19 spread threat heightens in indoor arenas.

Playoffs?

The Hornets have now gone four seasons without a playoff appearance. Does that end after this regular season (which is 72 games long, rather than the normal 82)?

While the Hornets are improved, so are other Eastern Conference teams, particularly the Atlanta Hawks, who added four rotation veterans in a playoff push.

Among teams that finished top-8 in the East last season, only the Orlando Magic appears to have significantly fallen back. It will be a challenge for the Hornets to finish with a top-8 record, barring major injuries to other rosters.

It’s more realistic for the Hornets to compete for the play-in tournament, which the NBA is carrying over from the season restart. Finishing ninth or 10th in the East would get the Hornets into a short series against the seventh or eighth seed to qualify for the main playoff draw.