The Charlotte Hornets are on a downward skid, and if they don’t find a way to get back on track soon, they may not make the playoffs.
The Hornets started off the season looking like they wanted to avenge last year’s game-seven first-round playoff loss to the Miami Heat. They started off with a record of 19-14 which put them right in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Hornets hovered around the 5th and 6th seeds during this time.
Since then, the Hornets have suffered several losing streaks to bring their current record to 25-34. This record puts them in the 11th spot in the East. To put that into perspective, they are only one game above the New York Knicks and 2.5 games above the Philadelphia 76ers.
Since the beginning of January, the Hornets have suffered a five-game losing streak, a seven-game losing streak and another five-game losing streak. These streaks are separated by just one or two wins.
The roster recently went through an unexpected change as Roy Hibbert and Spencer Hawes were traded for former Duke Blue Devil Miles Plumlee. This was a big change; Hawes had a solid impact on last season’s team and Hibbert was expected to be a big part of this season. Also, backup point guard Ramon Sessions suffered a left-knee injury that may require surgery. Fans were excited about the return of Sessions to Charlotte because of how well he played for the team under its previous moniker, the Charlotte Bobcats, not long ago.
The Hornets are certainly not as bad as the Knicks and the 76ers despite what their record says. One could argue that their record should be much better. The Hornets recently lost to the Los Angeles Clippers by 3 points in overtime. This loss was the 18th loss this season for the Hornets when leading in the fourth quarter. Not to say that the Hornets should have won all 18, but if they had, their record would be a stellar 43-16. To put that in perspective, the Cleveland Cavaliers are 40-17 and the San Antonio Spurs are 45-13.
Although the Hornets have been struggling as a team as of late, there are some individuals who are playing well. Point guard Kemba Walker has had one of the best seasons of his career, and he was selected as a reserve in the NBA All-Star Game. He’s averaging 22.7 points, 5.4 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. These numbers are either at or above his career averages. He’s also shooting above 40 percent from beyond the arc which earned him a spot in the NBA 3-point competition in which he placed third.
Guard Nic Batum has also been playing well lately, averaging 15.3 points, 5.9 assists and seven rebounds per game. Batum has been a solid second option to Walker since his arrival in 2015.
Unfortunately for the Hornets, Walker and Batum are not going to be enough to carry this team. The rest of the roster will need to step up if the Hornets plan to make the playoffs this season. The Eastern Conference is weak as usual so it is far from impossible for the team to turn its season around and climb into the top eight in the conference.
Head coach Steve Clifford has done a good job of making the team competitive again since he arrived when the team was still the Bobcats. It appears that while the rebuilding stage is done, the team could still use one more star player to help push it over the edge. With the trade deadline already passed, the rest of the team needs to step up for the last 23 games of the season.
