The Charlotte Hornets are currently playing the best basketball that this franchise has ever seen.
They have won nine of the last ten games and are ready to take the East by storm. The question is: Will this form be sustainable, and if so, how high in the standings can the Hornets climb?
The Hornets’ Season So Far
After a slow 4-14 start to the season, the Hornets have been trying to climb out of the hole they dug. They currently sit at 25-29 in the Eastern Conference, holding the No. 10 seed and a Play-In spot. While a dance in the Play-In would be great for Charlotte, they would love to make a push even higher than that.
5th-6th Seed
Probability: 15%
A month ago, the fifth and sixth seeds seemed a whole universe away from the Charlotte Hornets. Now? They have a fighting chance.
Since the introduction of the Play-In tournament in 2021, the fifth seed has finished with an average of 46.2 wins. Furthermore, the sixth seed has finished with an average of 44.4. To reach this spot in the standings, the Hornets would have to win approximately 75 percent of their games. They would also need to get a little help from the teams above them.
The Hornets currently sit five and a half games back from the sixth seed. A tall task, but not impossible. Recent wins against top teams like the Sixers, Magic, and the Spurs will give the Hornets confidence. With this confidence, they can continue to stack up wins against some of the best teams in the NBA. This will result in moving up the table.
The reigning Eastern Conference Coach of the Month, Charles Lee, will hope to push his young team into the sixth or fifth spot. This is important because missing out on the Play-In Tournament gives the team more time to prepare for a grueling first-round matchup. That matchup would likely be against the Celtics or Knicks.
7th – 8th Seed
Probability: 55%
Being the seventh or eighth seed has major advantages when it comes to the Play-In Tournament. Even if a team loses its first game, they get a second shot at making the playoffs. In this case, they play the winner of the ninth and tenth seeds. Two chances are always better than one.
To get to the seventh seed, the Hornets would need approximately 42 wins on the season. That means going 17-11 over their remaining 28 games. To do this, the Hornets will need their starting five to continue to produce big time. If Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball continue to play to their all-star capabilities, the Hornets will have a genuine chance at climbing into at least eighth place.
It will be vital for the Hornets to win most of their remaining games against their fellow Play-In contenders, such as the Hawks, Bulls, Magic, and Heat. February looks to be the easiest remaining month in the Hornets’ schedule. This is because there are multiple games against teams right around them in the standings.
The Hornets need to pick up wins now because they close the season with a gauntlet ten-game run in which they only play two teams under .500. That final ten-game stretch will be pivotal in determining the Hornets’ playoff seeding. As a wise man once said, “If you can’t run with the big dogs, stay on the porch.”
9th – 10th Seed
Probability: 30%
The Hornets are no strangers to this part of the standings, as they finished 10th and made the Play-In tournament in 2021 and 2022. Unfortunately, the Hornets lost both of those games. They will most certainly be looking to avenge those losses this season.
The path to the ninth or tenth seed is relatively straightforward. Win half of your games and beat the other teams competing for those last Play-In spots (Hawks, Bulls, Magic, Bucks). With the way that Charlotte has been playing recently, securing one of these spots should be the bare minimum.
The Final Verdict
After years of pure mediocrity, Charlotte Hornets fans have something to finally smile about. With the team on a seven-game winning streak, playoff basketball feels inevitable. Even Steve Nash recently gave kudos to the Hornets, saying, “That’s a team that looks like it can play playoff basketball.”
Can the Hornets climb out of the Play-In jumble and secure an automatic spot in the playoffs? Probably not, but no one will want to face them as a seventh or eighth seed in the Play-In.
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Come April, Buzz City will be preparing for playoff basketball. This might finally be the year and the team that can end the playoff drought in Charlotte.
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