Charlotte Hornets at Oklahoma City Thunder 10/4/21 - NBA Picks & Predictions

On Monday, the Charlotte Hornets will open their 2021-22 NBA preseason with a visit to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Charlotte finished 10th in the Eastern Conference last season at 33-39. Charlotte didn't make any big moves during the offseason but did lose Devonte Graham and Malik Monk but replaced the two with the signings of Ish Smith and Kelly Oubre. Charlotte also parted ways with Cody Zeller and Bismack Biyombo.

Charlotte acquired Mason Plumlee as well as JT Thor to give the Hornets more strength in the frontcourt. The Hornets drafted Kai Jones and James Bouknight, with Bouknight expected to make an impact from the start. LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier, who recently signed an extension, will start in the backcourt for Charlotte. Gordon Hayward and PJ Washington will be the two starting forwards and Plumlee will start at center.

The Oklahoma City Thunder suffered through a disappointing 2020-21 season at 22-50 finishing 14th. The Thunder’s top returning player from last season is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was the leading scorer before going down injured halfway through the season. Luguenzt Dort, Darius Bazley, Isaiah Roby and Theo Maledon give the Thunder scoring and rebounding strength. Josh Giddey was Oklahoma's biggest addition during the off-season as a lottery pick in the NBA draft.

During the offseason, Oklahoma City traded Al Horford for Kemba Walker, who in turn was then traded to the New York Knicks. Other than Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder do not have any other experienced or proven NBA players other than Dort and possibly Aleksej Pokusevski. The Thunder will be sound on the defensive end of the court, but will be hard-pressed to keep pace on the offensive end.