Last season, the Charlotte Hornets reached the play-in, while the Brooklyn Nets languished near the bottom of the standings for almost the entire regular season. Now the Nets should close the gap on the Hornets. The North Carolina club have reshuffled their personnel, and the changes are unlikely to have strengthened the squad.
Charlotte Hornets
The biggest change to the Charlotte Hornets' squad is the departure of LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges. Both players were responsible for creating opportunities and defending. The Hornets still have promising talents in Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel, who averaged 20.2 and 18.5 points respectively, but they still need to find their form. The Hornets will play their first pre-season match without Knueppel and Mark Williams, while the starting five featuring Dennis Schröder, Jarrett Allen, Naz Reid and Miller are unlikely to get many minutes.
Brooklyn Nets
Only the Washington Wizards and the Indiana Pacers finished below the Brooklyn Nets in the Eastern Conference last regular season — neither club managed more than 20 wins. In the NBA Summer League, the Nets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the consolation play-offs (108:90), while Egor Demin was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 21.8 points and 5.2 rebounds. We should not forget that the Nets have Kevin Porter Jr and Julius Randle in their starting line-up — they have assembled a decent group.
Charlotte Hornets vs Brooklyn Nets Prediction
Last season, the Charlotte Hornets won two of their three meetings with the Brooklyn Nets. This pre-season encounter will leave the Hornets unable to control possession, while the Nets could impress in attack. Backing the visitors with a handicap looks appealing.
