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It’s been four years since the Charlotte Hornets, who were then the Charlotte Bobcats, set the NBA record for least number of wins in a season with a record of 7-59. Now, the Hornets are on the verge of completing their best season of the millennium.
A lot has changed since that 2011–12 team, the biggest thing being win percentage. The Hornets enter their final game of the season on Wednesday night with a record of 47-34, and a victory Monday night over the Celtics cemented this as their best record since 2000.
Another big change that the Hornets made was their improvement of perimeter shooting. Last year, the four teams that made conference finals accounted for four of the top-five teams in 3-point shooting in the NBA, the other being the Los Angeles Clippers. Head coach Steve Clifford saw the importance of this statistic and took major action to improve his squad in this area.
The offseason was a busy time for a struggling Charlotte team, and the organization made three key acquisitions that have had a significant impact on the success that followed. Jeremy Lin was acquired from the Lakers in free agency, Nicolas Batum from the Trail Blazers and Courtney Lee from the Grizzlies just before the trade deadline mid-season.
Lin is remembered by many for the three weeks with the New York Knicks, during which the term “Linsanity” was coined. His fame has dwindled since, but still shows flashes of this version of himself from time to time. Monday night against the Celtics was one of these times, as he exploded in the second quarter for 19 points, six more than the entire Boston team.
Batum was the most effective of the three acquisitions, and ranks behind Kemba Walker in game-high point performances for the Hornets. The Frenchman’s skill from behind the arc matches his ability to get it done on the defensive end of the floor, which has been crucial this season with the loss of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to injury, a player known for his defensive prowess.
Lee has also been a great addition and has played a pivotal role in the 3-point shooting improvements the team has seen this year. Last year, the Hornets ranked 26th in the NBA in this category. This year, they rank eighth in the league and third in the Eastern Conference behind the Toronto Raptors and the Washington Wizards.
Rookie forward Frank Kaminsky, the ninth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, and Troy Daniels have also been key components in the dramatic improvement of shooting the trifecta. Kaminsky’s confidence grew as the year progressed, and he now launches his three’s with conviction. Daniels is playing in his second season with the Hornets and is proving why he should stay. He has contributed impressive performances this season, including 28 points off the bench in a double-overtime win against the Kings.
With all of these pieces in place, Walker is finally able to thrive as the leader of this team. Buzz of a breakout season has been surrounding his success this year, but Walker has already proved that he can play with the best of them. He has just never had the support in years past that he has this season.
Walker has led the team in scoring every season except for his first, and his 21.1 points per game this season is his best yet by almost four points.
The Hornets now have a balance that has led them to this point, and the lack of this balance was a key reason why they were swept by the Heat in the first round of the playoffs last season. Al Jefferson tore his plantar fascia in Game Two, and the team never looked the same without him. This year, the rotation of Spencer Hawes, Cody Zeller and Jefferson gives Charlotte the depth that will allow it to continue to play well even if one goes down with injury.
The playoffs now loom large for a team that has failed to win a post-season game since the beginning of the Bobcats era in 2004. The Hornets boast a record of 23-8 since Feb. 6, the third-best record in the NBA in this time period and will look to carry this form into the playoffs.
If the playoffs started today, the Hornets would be a six-seed and play the three-seed Atlanta Hawks. Based on how the final two days play out, they could also be matched up with either the Boston Celtics or the Miami Heat, and this just proves how competitive the East has been this year. No matter how everything turns out, however, let’s just hope the finish to the regular season is as exciting as Lin’s hairstyles.