The Charlotte Hornets enter the 2021-22 season carrying the weight of expectations heavier than any the current iteration of the roster has ever felt. Head coach James Borrego has felt that pressure in Charlotte once before in his first year. That team was led by veterans like Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb who have long since departed. They fell short, and the roster was stripped down to its bones that summer.
The only player remaining on the Hornets from that 2018-19 season is Miles Bridges, who was a rookie that year. Everyone else on the roster played elsewhere if they were even in the league yet.