The Charlotte Hornets just lost their first game in nine, losing to the Detroit Pistons at home, but this nine-game win streak definitely wasn’t easy. LaMelo Ball and the Hornets defeated the Spurs, a healthy Rockets team and even the potential Rookie of the Year, Cooper Flagg and the Mavericks. Some people may ask where this spark came from. As a franchise, the Charlotte Hornets have been very abysmal in recent history, only reaching the playoffs once in the last ten years. Even with drafting all-star LaMelo Ball, they haven’t had much success. This year the vibes are high in Charlotte, and we hope to see more from the Hornets.
On January 21st , the Cleveland Cavaliers took a road trip to North Carolina for an Eastern Conference matchup. What makes this game special was that it was ESPN. For most fans, this is their first time watching the Hornets on National TV, and we were expecting the Hornets’ young core to put on a show. 94-87 was the final score, but it was almost a blowout. Another embarrassment for the Charlotte organization, but this time on live TV. A bounce back was need and that is what they did, after this loss the Hornets would proceed to win 9 games straight, their longest win streak in twenty-five years to take them up to 10th place in Eastern Conference pushing for playoff contention.
“I didn’t think that Charlotte would go on this win streak, but they are looking very strong,” says Wyatt Clarke (12).
Kon Kneuppel was on a tear and has had a very strong rookie campaign averaging 18.9 PPG and being one of the deadliest three-point shooters in the league, offering LaMelo a strong shooter to the dish the ball out too.
Jack Stevens (11) remarks, “I don’t think Kon can win ROTY as Flagg is in the league, but if the Hornets have a good campaign after the All-Star Break, it could be questionable.”
The Hornets were able to have a few decent trades before the deadline, picking up Bulls guard Coby White, who seems to be excited to play in Charlotte. Also, acquiring Mike Conley in that trade as well; some veteran leadership in the guard position could be good for the Hornets. Charlotte traded for big man Xavier Tilman to provide some depth in the forward position.
“To improve to playoff contention, they need to sign more depth in the frontcourt,” says Stevens. The future of this Charlotte team is looking very bright. We hope that they can get to postseason basketball for the first time since 2016!
