The 2021-22 NBA season has been moving past extremely fast and fans have already watched quite a few teams start the season in surprising or disappointing fashion. One of the more pleasant surprises has been the start to the year by Charlotte Hornets second-year point guard LaMelo Ball. His development and the Hornets' roster itself has placed Charlotte in a position to be a potential contender in the Eastern Conference.

At this stage of the season, the Hornets have compiled an 11-8 record. They are currently in the No. 5 seed in the East. Many thought they would improve this season, but the way they have played has been better than most expected.

Some believe that the Hornets are for real and will continue impressing throughout the course of the rest of the season. Others, however, believe that they are a young team that will falter at some point. Only time will tell, but Charlotte is becoming a team that fans around the nation are keeping a close eye on.

Already this season, the Hornets have come through with statement wins over the Golden State Warriors, Washington Wizards, New York Knicks, and Brooklyn Nets. Winning those games shows that they can compete with some of the better teams around the NBA. Whether or not they can keep that up come playoff time is the big question.

All of that being said, let's dive in and take a look at three reasons Ball and the Hornets are a true dark horse contender to win the Eastern Conference.

3. The Hornets Love Playing Together as a Team

One thing that has been impressive already this season has been the Hornets' willingness to move the ball. Quite often with a young team, players want to prove themselves and score on the offensive end of the court. However, that has not been the case with the Hornets.

James Borrego has his team playing together and he has them loving it. The Hornets have been unselfish all season long and are averaging 26 assists per game. Keeping that up is a big step in the right direction and a major key to contention for Charlotte.

Some of the best teams in recent history have been teams who share the basketball rather than having one player dominate as a scorer. Even though the Hornets have players capable of putting up 25 to 30 points per game, moving the basketball will be a winning recipe for this team.

2. Speaking Of James Borrego…

Good coaching can be hard to find, especially when it comes to finding a leader for a young team. While it can be difficult to find, the Hornets did not have much trouble. Borrego has been the perfect fit in Charlotte and has instilled confidence in the young roster while also putting them in the best position to succeed.

Not only is Borrego a good coach when the team is playing well, but he also shines when his team struggles. Even after a blowout loss to the Indiana Pacers in the play-in tournament last season, Borrego remained confident in his team. They have come back much better this season and are a team to watch in the NBA.

Borrego comes from the Gregg Popovich coaching tree and his future in Charlotte is extremely bright. The Hornets have the right man for the job to lead them on a postseason run and it will be interesting to see where this team ends up at the end of the year.

1. How Could we Not Talk About LaMelo Ball?

Finally, the play of LaMelo Ball deserves to be talked about. Of course, everyone is talking about it, but it's worth continuing that trend.

So far this season, the Hornets have seen their second-year rising star point guard average 19.8 points per game to go along with 8.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists. Ball is currently leading Charlotte in both assists and rebounds at the point guard position.

In addition to those numbers, Ball has looked good on the defensive side of the ball as well. He is chipping in with 2.1 steals per game. Ball is also shooting 41.7 percent from the floor and has knocked down 38.4 percent of his three-point attempts.

Charlotte is in good hands with Ball leading the way and holding the keys to the offense. The scary thing is that he is just 20 years of age and is already showing signs of being the next big superstar name in the NBA. If he continues to develop as he has thus far, the Hornets are going to be a contender year in and year out.