Best Bet: Charlotte Hornets Under 23.5 Wins
Worst Bet: Charlotte Hornets To Win The NBA Championship 500:1
The 2018-Charlotte Hornets barely missed the playoffs, finishing with a record of 39-43 which was also the 2nd best record in the Southeast division. They had a good enough team to make the playoffs last season with the leader of the team, Kemba Walker, but they lost Walker in free agency in the offseason and are likely to be a long way away from being a competitive team. They arguably had one of the worst offseasons in the NBA this year.
The Charlotte Hornets were around the league average last season in points per game, ranking 19th in the NBA with 110.74, they were one of the lowest assists per game teams in the NBA ranking 24th with 23.23 per game, and were one of the worst teams in offensive rebounds per game ranking 19th with 9.96. Walker led the team in scoring and assists with 2,102 points and 484 assists. Guillermo Hernangomez led the team in offensive rebounds with 117. The Hornets lost their top two scorers in Walker and Jeremy Lamb and didn’t add anything through free agency to replace them, so I don’t see them being an improved team offensively this season.
The Hornets were also a below average team defensively last season as well. They ranked 18th in the NBA in points allowed per game with 111.84, 22nd in defensive rebounds per game with 33.89 and 21st in steals per game with 7.16 per game. Jeremy Lamb led the team in defensive rebound with 369. Kemba Walker led the team in steals with 102. Marvin Williams led the team in blocks with 61. As stated earlier the Hornets traded Walker in a sign and trade and lost Lamb in free agency to the Pacers. Marvin Williams is their best player returning from last season both offensive and defensively. The Hornets will still be one of the worst teams in the NBA defensively again this season as they didn’t do a lot to improve the team in the offseason.
Hornets Total Wins O/U 23.5 Wins
The Charlotte Hornets lost their top two scorers from last season, top assist player, top stealer and top defensive rebounder in the offseason with the loss of Lamb and Kemba. They are tanking this season as they didn’t look to acquire much in the offseason with the exception of adding Terry Rozier, who they acquired from the Celtics in a sign and trade and gave him a three year 56.7-million-dollar contract. Rozier isn’t going to improve this team though and the Hornets will finish with one of the worst records in the NBA. I don’t see Charlotte as being competitive at all this year which is why it’s easy to see them winning less than 23.5 games and makes that the best bet for the Hornets this season.
Charlotte Hornets To Make The Playoffs: Yes +800 No -1250
The Hornets are not going to be a competitive team this season and look like they will be tanking for a high draft choice as they lost two of their best players that made them a competitive team last season but still missed the playoffs albeit barely with the 9th best record in the conference. The Hornets didn’t make any improvements with the team to replace the key players they lost with the exception of adding Rozier, who isn’t a star player or a player that can lead a team by himself to the playoffs. This team isn’t going to the playoffs but at -1250 cost to wager on them missing isn’t a smart move either and as a result I would just stay away from making a bet on the prop for this season.
Charlotte Hornets To Win the Southeast Division: 25:1
Charlotte is without a doubt the worst team in the Southeast division this season which is why they are at +2500 to win the division and that’s saying a lot as the Wizards won’t be a good team either. Charlotte lost two of their best players in the offseason and failed to replace them adequately in free agency. They are looking to rebuild through the draft and with that mentality it will likely be awhile before they are a competitive team in the division again. Miami, Atlanta and Orland are all better teams in the division and the odds say the Wizards are too and I concur with that. This team isn’t going to the playoffs and they aren’t going to win the division so even at a long shot of 25:1 there is no way I’m wasting money on them.
Charlotte Hornets To Win The Eastern Conference: 150:1
Charlotte is tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers at +15000 to win the Eastern Conference and I would actually put the Cavaliers as a better team than the Hornets this season. The Hornets had arguably the worst offseason of any team in the NBA as they offered Walker a well below market value contract which he did not accept and instead did a sign and trade deal with the Celtics. They also lost their 2nd best player in Lamb via free agency and they only move they made was the player they got back in the sign and trade deal with the Celtics in Rozier. Rozier is a decent NBA player and is now the Hornets’ best player for this season and may be the best player on the team through the three years he is signed to. The Hornets are not a playoff team, so betting on this prop would be like lighting money on fire and watching it burn as Charlotte isn’t going to win the Eastern Conference.
Charlotte Hornets To Win The NBA Championship: 500:1
The Phoenix Suns, Charlotte Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers are tied for the longest shot to win the NBA Championship this season and the Hornets may be the worst of those three teams. The Hornets aren’t winning more than 23 games, they aren’t making the playoffs, so this bet would be null and void as they aren’t even going to have a crack at a chance this season and could finish with the worst record in the NBA. Don’t make this bet unless you like losing money. Donate the money to charity or something else useful if you plan on making a wager like this as it’s not going to happen.
