Charlotte Hornets Playoff Picture: A collection of LaMelo Ball and co.’s strengths, weaknesses, and more
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The Charlotte Hornets really haven’t shaken out of their funk at all.
The team is 2-8 in its last 10 games. Somehow though, they are still in the thick of the race for the play-in tournament spots. And frankly, despite everything, the franchise still has more than what it takes to actually make the playoffs.
With that in mind, we bring you this edition of the Hornets playoff picture, a series where we analyze, the good, the bad, and the unbearable of this franchise, to see just how likely they are to make the postseason.
With that in mind, let’s get into it, shall we?
Strengths
Potential
Frankly, the way things are right now, many would say that perhaps this is the only real strength the franchise has going for it, right now.
On paper, the Hornets are pretty stacked for a young team. LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges Terry Rozier, PJ Washington, Kelly Oubre Jr., and so many more players that can come in and change the game on any given night.
What’s more is, given that their two stars in Ball and Bridges are just 20, and 23-years-old respectively, in other words, not even close to their primes.
Despite their losing run right now, this team still has some scary amount of potential. And given how dangerous they are, when fully switched on, this team could not only make the playoffs but also make some serious noise while they’re there as well.
Offensive firepower
LaMelo Ball really shines through in this category.
The Hornets franchise player has been blessed with some seriously gifted players around him. What’s more is, he has all the court vision and IQ in the world to not only find them but even get them going during important stretches of the game.
Really, the team is just in the middle of a terrible slump right now. When they play properly though, each and every player becomes a very important part of the rotation, and every player flourishes together.
If they can find a way to become that Hornets team again, there could be more than a just little bit of hope left for them.
Weaknesses
Defense
LaMelo ball and his teammates have most definitely shown flashes of high defensive upside. Heck, the team has also shown some excellent runs on this end of the floor during crunch time of games in the past.
Are they showing it now though? No, we can’t say they are.
Even with the addition of Montrezl Harrell, the team’s effort and overall quality on that end of the floor seems less than lackluster on far too many occasions.
This has been one of the biggest reasons behind why this team has been losing so many games. And given that teams will only play with far more intensity during the play-in tournament, things are likely to get really, really rocky for this team.
Consistency
This truly is the bane of the Hornets’ existence.
The team can be a bit wayward at times. But right now, the word ‘inconsistent’ doesn’t even begin to define them.
This team keeps flip-flopping between good and atrocious. One game, this team will blowout one hell of a team. And the very next game, they will get blown out by one that they should’ve won against very easily.
This flip-flopping could be a very, very bad sign. Heck, it could even result in them bowing out of the play-in race completely.
Playoff Positioning
As things stand right now, the franchise is currently 9th in the Eastern Conference.
Due to the system of the play-in system, if the seedings continue to be the same, as today, the Hornets would have to face off against the Hawks in a one-off, elimination game. And even if they manage to win that one, they’ll have to then go up against the winner of the game between the 7th and 8th seeded teams… which is between the Raptors and the Nets.
Listen, we love the Hornets here at The SportsRush. But, even we have to admit it. Unless this team can really pull their socks up and get a positive run going starting from their very next game, this season could be a wrap before the playoffs even begin.
