Hornets come to a consensus: They know what the next step is, and vow to get there

As one of the few Hornets who’ve experienced the thrill and agony of the postseason, don’t think for a second that Terry Rozier isn’t aware of his own personal drought.

Mention it’s been three years since he’s donned his uniform beyond the regular-season finale, and Rozier is quick to point out the slight discrepancy.

“Four years,” the Charlotte Hornets guard said Monday before diving into the meaty topic. “We’ve got a couple of guys on our team that can share stories about it, try to get guys to understand how important that is. There’s nothing like it. But you know, you say it as many times as you want.

“And I’m not saying guys are not buying in, but it’s obviously just happened to be tough on us this year and we had to deal with a lot of things. So this was supposed to be the year. We felt like we could have done that. But no going back, only moving forward. We can only control what we can control and that’s right now to start having that mindset for next year to get better.”

If they don’t, the Hornets will find themselves atop an unflattering list: With Sacramento punching its playoff ticket for the first time in more than a decade, the Hornets currently boast the NBA’s longest span without a postseason berth.

Charlotte hasn’t experienced the postseason since 2016, when the Hornets lost to Miami in seven games in the first round — a series that featured “Purple Shirt Guy” getting Heat star Dwayne Wade riled up in Game 6 at Spectrum Center. And the hands of time are already ticking, hours after their 2022-23 season just ended with another fruitless expedition.

“It’s unfortunate,” Gordon Hayward said. “That’s the reason why I came here. That’s what you play for, is to play in big games and play in the playoffs. I think a lot of our players don’t understand that yet. Once you are in a series, you start to realize the game is different, the vibe is different, the atmosphere is different.

“It’s fun. It’s the reason why you play. So, moving forward obviously we need to stay healthy. Some of that is unlucky luck and you see that every year with teams. Guys go down and it just affects their chances.”

That’s the gist of what happened to the Hornets this season. Besieged by injuries from the start, highlighted by LaMelo Ball’s preseason ankle injury, they spent nearly the entire past six months below the .500 mark, playing catch-up in the standings.

Critical juncture for LaMelo Ball, Hornets

Ball played in only 36 games in his third season, which ended prematurely with last month’s surgery to repair a fractured right ankle. He’s been sidelined on four separate occasions since October, and three of those absences were related to the same injury.

This surely isn’t what Ball anticipated when got drafted in 2020 — the Hornets are 103-133 since his arrival.

It doesn’t sit well with Ball, either. Winning must be a priority for the Hornets, and they have to build a team around their star point guard that takes advantage of his strengths and is inviting to others who may want to come to town.

“As upbeat and everything as he is — and he is fun to be around, he really is,” coach Steve Clifford said. “But in that locker room, he handles losing … it’s harder on him than almost any of them. We have a couple of guys where losing really bothers them. But we’ve had a couple of nights and there’s three guys in there where I’ll get the 12:30 (a.m.) text, “Hey, My bad. I’m sorry, I should have done better.’

“And he’s done that a couple of times. He badly wants to win. I think he loves it here. I think he loves the city, I think he loves the organization, I think he really enjoy his teammates. When you are his level, there are certain expectations, and he’s going to be compared to the other point guards – and I don’t have to list them — that are his age that have not had incredible playoff success. But I think it’s important for his career also.”

Consider it critical. Ball does.

“Yeah for sure, definitely,” he said. “The main thing is winning. Life is better when you win. The main thing is definitely winning.”

Which, in turn, can aid the Hornets’ attempt to put their postseason drought on ice. They’ve had more than their share of educational experiences over the past half-decade.

They are nearly at the graduate level of coursework now.

“Pretty much just take it as learning lessons,” Ball said. “You can’t really get too down on yourself. So, going into next season, you know, make the playoffs. They’ve been talking about it since I’ve got here, definitely a lot since Cliff got here. It’s just more and more. I’m pretty much focused on making it.”

And Ball isn’t the only one. Altering the organizational landscape and changing the playoff narrative is at the forefront of the Hornets’ minds as they slowly go their separate ways before reconvening as a collective late in the summer for what’s become their annual players’ tune-up session in Miami.

“That’s the biggest emphasis,” PJ Washington said. “At the end of the day, everybody wants to be in the playoffs. Everybody knows that’s the most fun part of the league. So, we haven’t got there and got a taste of it yet, but I think everybody is definitely hungry and everybody is definitely excited to get better this summer and eventually get there next year.”

Several other noteworthy topics were addressed during Monday’s exit interviews. Among them:

Free agents

Kelly Oubre reiterated what he’s said to the Observer several times over the past few months: He doesn’t want to go anywhere. He’s thoroughly enjoyed his two seasons in Charlotte and the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent would prefer to re-sign with the Hornets.

“It would mean a lot,” Oubre said. “My family loves it here, I love it here. I love the organization, the city, my teammates. It would mean a lot to me for sure. I just want to be somewhere where I’m loved and wanted. It’s just one of those things where you hate the business side of it.

“But we are all humans at the end of the day. I’m a journeyman. I’m from New Orleans, Louisiana, and then I moved to Houston, Texas in 2005. Then my senior year in high school, I moved to Vegas. Then after that year I went to Kansas, and I went to D.C. — all that. I can keep going on down the line. I don’t even have a home. I don’t have a place where I can call home, so that’s all I’m looking for.”

But he’s also aware there could be other mitigating factors.

“All the pieces have to fit in the puzzle,” Oubre said. “The draft is coming up and I’m not the only free agent on the team. So, as much as we want to speak on it, I just can only pray and hope that everything falls together so we can keep this band together.”

After enjoying a career revival, Dennis Smith Jr. would prefer to hang around, too.

“I would love to,” Smith said. “I rock with coach. I love coach and if there’s a chance to make sure I stay playing for a guy like that, that’s what I want to do.”

Same goes for PJ Washington. He’ll be a restricted free agent after the two sides couldn’t agree on a contract extension before the season, and should be in line for a hefty payday.

Washington’s preference is in line with the Hornets’ other free agents.

“I definitely want to be here in Charlotte,” Washington said. “This is like home to be now, so this is where I want to be. I haven’t thought about being anywhere else.

“Everybody is here. My family is here, my kids are here, this is like home to me now, so this is exactly where I want to be, I love playing for the Hornets. This is what I want to do.”

Potential sale

With preliminary and exploratory talks under way between owner Michael Jordan and Hornets minority owner Gabe Plotkin and Atlanta Hawks minority owner Rick Schnall to sell a large stake of the team, there appears to be some uncertainty in Charlotte’s hierarchy this offseason.

Although Steve Clifford is under contract for two more years, there’s always a possibility things could shift under new ownership if a sale goes through. And he’s fully aware of it.

“If this were eight years ago and I’d been the coach for one year, it’s different than where I’m at now,” Clifford said. “Even though it was tough, I loved being the head coach again. I didn’t even realize how much I missed it. I enjoyed the (consulting) year in Brooklyn and all that, but I like having the team. I like being in charge of it. I like trying to figure out how you can have positive days.

“Obviously, I hope nothing happens because I want to coach again next year. But I’ve also been around this league long enough to know to not ever be surprised by anything that happens. That’s pro sports.”

Missing Miles Bridges

Miles Bridges is a year removed from playing in a competitive game.

Bridges spent this entire season unsigned after pleading no contest to a felony count of injuring a child’s parent in November, agreeing to a three-year probation period with no jail time. As the Observer has previously reported, a reunion between Bridges and the Hornets is likely once things have been sorted out behind the scenes and the NBA concludes its investigation.

Just how much did they miss his skill set?

“I don’t know if you can really gauge that,” Clifford said. “Obviously, he was the high scorer and the best rebounder, so it definitely has an impact. It gave PJ a chance to be an every night starter, which was a positive thing for him. It gave us a good chance to evaluate him going against starters every night at that position. It gave other guys more time, too.”

Cody Martin’s health

This season didn’t go the way Cody Martin expected at all.

Injuries nagged him since October and he played in only seven games all season, unable to fully return after having arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Nov. 11. His last action came against Boston on Jan. 14.

“It’s frustrating — that’s the best way you can put it,” Martin said. “It’s just how frustrating that is sitting out that long, wanting to play, wanting to contribute. I put the pressure on myself to come back and play because that’s who I am. I’ve never sat out this long. I want to play, I want to contribute. I want to help, so this is the first time I’ve really had to put myself and what I have going on right now first. And in reality, nobody could understand, nobody knows my body better than I do.”

The good news? Martin isn’t anticipating another surgery over the coming weeks.

“I don’t think that I will have to do anything procedure wise or anything like that,” Martin said. “So, I’m not even thinking about that right now. I’m just more or less focused on they situation at hand and build off that.”