The Charlotte Hornets turned a lot of heads this offseason. First, by picking two German rookies in the NBA draft, and then by making a cascade of trades, headlined by the already infamous departure of LaMelo Ball.

With a change comes uncertainty. That goes for everything in life, and especially for something that is as volatile and as much under the public eye as a roster of NBA players.

There is reasonable doubt but also excitement to be had about this summer's additions and departures. How do they weigh up against each other? Let's find out!

The Point Guards: Coby White | Dennis Schröder | Christian Anderson Jr. | Kylan Boswell (Two-Way)

Departures: LaMelo Ball, Tre Mann

First things first, the Hornets have lost one of the most gifted offensive point guards in the NBA. That is undeniable. But that doesn't necessarily mean you can't have confidence in his successors.

One of the main reasons why many people had their gripes with LaMelo Ball was that he was not all that reliable. His efficiency and availability wavered constantly. As did Tre Mann's.

The same can't be said about any of their successors. Coby White has played 82% of possible games in his seven-year NBA career, and Dennis Schröder has played 85% of possible games in his thirteen-(!) year NBA career.

Christian Anderson Jr. and two-way guard Kylan Boswell both racked up lots of appearances and minutes in their respective college careers. In terms of reliability and consistency, this year's point guard rotation is better than last year's, without a doubt.

That comes at a cost. In this case, that's the ceiling on a game-to-game basis lowering. There is no LaMelo Ball anymore, who can shake a 30-point and 10-assist performance out of his sleeve any given night.

There is also no backup point guard who can come in and regularly score 20+ points. So, because of that, the confidence meter will have to take a hit. But all in all, the NBA-level experience and record of availability make for a good basis to build on as the season progresses.

PG Confidence Meter: 80%

The Shooting Guards (Kon Knueppel | Grayson Allen | Sion James)

Departure: Josh Green

Almost no one batted an eye at Josh Green being included in the LaMelo Ball trade, naturally. That does not detract from the fact that Green's perimeter defense was important to the Hornets' balance, if only because almost no one else on the roster could hold their own one-on-one.

Green was also almost a non-factor offensively, which makes his loss hurt a little less. He is replaced by Grayson Allen, who came in through the Miles Bridges trade and is a much bigger offensive weapon, and at least has some defensive intensity to offer as well.

The shooting guard rotation is completed by sophomores Kon Knueppel and Sion James, who both exceeded expectations in their rookie years.

Between Knueppel, Allen, and James, there's a nice mix of skill sets at the two-guard spot. Knueppel is one of the league's best shooters and will hope to get better at creating offense. Allen and James can both handle the ball a bit.

Allen was historically a good shooter before undergoing a slight slump for Phoenix last season. James is the best defender of the three and already took on superstar assignments at times last season.

If you were to poke a hole in this rotation, it would be that there's not an extraordinary amount of NBA-level experience, and for two guards, none of the three are particularly good with the ball in their hands.

SG Confidence Meter: 75%

The Small Forwards (Brandon Miller | Royce O'Neale | Liam McNeeley | Pat Connaughton)

Departure: None

This position fully hinges on the health of Brandon Miller. He underwent surgery back in May to address issues with his left shoulder, which was heavily taped last year, as you can see in the picture above.

There is no news yet on whether Miller will be a full participant in training camp or ready to play at the start of the regular season. It is very much possible, but not set in stone either.

Should he be out, Royce O'Neale would probably be the next man up. O'Neale brings experience from 678 NBA regular-season games plus 52 playoff games, of which he started 31.

He is 33, though, past the peak of his career. Mostly, this impacts his defense, where he is still ok but can be exploited by quicker guards or wings. In short, you'd be ok starting O'Neale for a few weeks, but it would mean someone else would have to take a few more shots and a few more defensive assignments.

Liam McNeeley will play a bigger role than last season, when he only appeared in 31 games. The former UConn Husky had a great Summer League and is looking to shoot his way into a steady rotation spot. He should be good for a few minutes per night but isn't a super reliable NBA wing yet.

Then there is Pat Connaughton, who is on the roster right now but, in all likelihood, will be cut before the start of the season to help bring the roster down to 15 players.

All in all, the wing spot gives reason for some concern. Brandon Miller spent a good part of the offseason rehabbing from surgery and might miss some time again. O'Neale is fine as a starter, but even then you will be relying on McNeeley off the bench every night.

On the other hand, if Miller is ready to go immediately, you have a borderline All-Star starting with an NBA veteran and a promising youngster backing him up.

SF Confidence Meter: 60%

The Power Forwards (Naz Reid | Grant Williams | Tidjane Salaün | Dorian Finney-Smith | Michael Ajayi (Two-Way))

Departure: Miles Bridges

Despite having five players who can play the position and trading away an agent of chaos in Miles Bridges, the power forward spot is arguably the most volatile one on the Hornets' depth chart. The starting nod will go to Naz Reid, who was one of the league's best sixth men in recent years but hadn't gotten the chance to prove himself as a starter in Minnesota.

Grant Williams is an important locker room presence and one of the Hornets' most solidified NBA players, but he is also somewhat dependent on his matchup and has been mentioned in trade rumors over recent months.

Tidjane Salaün is also far from untradeable but will seemingly get one more season to etch himself into Jeff Peterson's long-term plans. A former 6th overall pick, he has continued to look disoriented on the court, even in this year's summer league.

Dorian Finney-Smith is likely to be cut alongside Connaughton, after really struggling with the Houston Rockets last season, partly due to an injury that kept him out much longer than expected. Michael Ajayi looked interesting in his summer league minutes, providing lots of energy and rebounding. If he can add some more composure to his game, he could see a handful of minutes here or there.

It would be unreasonable to suggest Reid won't be able to transition from a great sixth man to at least a good starting-caliber power forward. He won't do much defensively, but that's why you have Grant Williams backing him up. Going past those two, it gets sketchy. There is a case to be made that Ajayi is the more intriguing prospect than Salaün at this point, and that is telling.

Reid and Williams have been mostly available throughout their careers. If that continues, the Hornets are in a good spot, especially offensively. But if either misses significant time, that throws a wrench into things.

PF Confidence Meter: 65%

The Centers (Moussa Diabaté | Hannes Steinbach | Ryan Kalkbrenner | PJ Hall (Two-Way))

Departure: Xavier Tillman Sr.

Best for last? Moussa Diabaté, Hannes Steinbach, and Ryan Kalkbrenner make for a center rotation that should elicit (cautious) optimism. They each have very distinct strengths and weaknesses. Finding the right moments to use each of them will be one of Charles Lee's biggest challenges.

And then there's also PJ Hall, who proved last season that he can be entrusted with a small role and fill it out quite well. Theoretically, the Hornets have a center for almost every situation. Practically, it is, of course, more difficult than that.

Kalkbrenner and Steinbach are still a sophomore and a rookie, in need of game time to gain experience and confidence. Diabaté, as important as he was to last season's hot streak at the start of the year, cannot defend certain bigs.

What holds this four-man rotation back from being really good is that the player profiles are almost too unique. The Hornets lack a big man who can play well against ~23 of the 29 other NBA teams and, in return, maybe isn't great at a single thing like Diabaté/Hall (Offensive Rebounding), Steinbach (Offensive Versatility), and Kalkbrenner (Contesting at the rim) are.

Diabatè is really well-suited against ~18 opponents; Kalkbrenner against ~12. Steinbach has the potential to become a real all-around weapon, but that is more of a long-term outlook than anything that should be expected to happen this year.

C Confidence Meter: 70%

To hear more analysis on the Hornets' position groups, feel free to check out the corresponding podcast episodes on the Charlotte Hornets on SI YouTube (HERE) or Spotify (HERE) channels.

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