This Charlotte Hornets veteran has some pretty high expectations.

The Charlotte Hornets have not been good for a long time. A very long time. The Hornets have not made the playoffs since 2016 and have made just three postseason appearances since 2005. Their last playoff series win? That came all the way back in 2002.

So, yeah; to say that Charlotte is a struggling franchise would be putting it lightly, but for the first time in quite a while, there actually seems to be some legitimate hope for the future.

Slowly but surely, the Hornets have actually put together a rather impressive group of young talent, spearheaded by LaMelo Ball but also supported by Brandon Miller, Tre Man and rookie Kon Knueppel, among others.

In fact, veteran guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who signed with Charlotte during the offseason, thinks that his new team can actually contend with any other club in the NBA. Well, most of them, anyway.

"So, I would put our talent up against most teams in the league that don’t have a definitive the guy, you know what I mean?" Dinwiddie said, via Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. "I don’t see us as having subpar or bottom-third type talent in the league.”

You have to love the bold — but realistic — confidence from Dinwiddie. He believes in his team, but he is not so out of teach with reality that he thinks the Hornets can beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in a seven-game series.

Overall, Dinwiddie's statement is pretty accurate. Yes, Charlotte only won 19 games last season, but in a watered-down Eastern Conference, there is no question that the Hornets could actually contend for a playoff spot this coming season.

Much of Charlotte's potential growth obviously hinges on Ball's ability to stay healthy, which has been a recurring problem for him throughout his career. But it will also depend on whether or not Ball's fellow young teammates take another step forward.

At the very least, the Hornets are building something, and that is enough to at least have their fans curiously tuning in each night throughout the season.

This might be the best — or at least the most interesting — Charlotte squad we have seen in a decade.