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Because of their inconsistency, the Charlotte Hornets are a difficult team to predict. Charlotte’s inconsistency isn’t surprising given their youth, but they need to start figuring out how to play better on a nightly basis. If they are playing their best basketball and other teams take them lightly, this is a team that might surprise a few other teams in the Eastern Conference come playoff time.
The fact is that the Hornets will most likely be eliminated early in the Eastern Conference, but they will also be a team that many other contending teams in the East will not want to play. On the other hand, the Hornets will also want to avoid specific opponents, so let’s take a look at three of them who may be the most dangerous come playoff time.
Winning an NBA title is never easy. As we have seen with the past 20 champions, every team is going to need something significant to go their way. Whether that is an unfortunate injury to someone, or having guys on the roster step up more than they ever have. There is a reason why winning a championship is so hard, and a reason why we have seen crazy upsets in the past. If a team is going to win a title, they’re going to need everyone on their roster to be playing the best basketball they possibly can, and even sometimes that isn’t enough to get the job done. Matchups are always something that is going to play a major factor, and some teams just know how to get the job done against certain teams when it matters most.
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The Biggest Threats To The Hornets In The Playoffs, Ranked
3. Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are comparable to the Philadelphia Sixers in terms of teams that the Charlotte Hornets will not want to play, but they are likely even less of a team that this Hornets team will want to face given that they have won a championship and know exactly what it takes to succeed in the playoffs.
Nobody on the Hornets can stop Giannis Antetokounmpo, and when guards Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton are added to the mix, Milwaukee creates a very difficult matchup for the Hornets.
We must also consider that the Hornets’ guard defense isn’t particularly strong; the Bucks will be quite confident if they can attack a player like Lamelo Ball with Middleton and Holiday.
Charlotte has had success against the Bucks throughout the regular season, but the playoffs are a different animal, and Milwaukee understands how to compete when it matters most.
2. Nets
Even though the Brooklyn Nets weren’t having a particularly good season heading into the All-Star break and lost their first game after the break by 20-plus points, they’re still a team to keep an eye on if you’re an Eastern Conference contender. Regardless of how much people want to debate, any team with Kevin Durant on it will be a force to be reckoned with. They could even be better now than they were before with their additional additions of Simmons, Dragic, Curry, and Drummond.
Still, it’s difficult to say whether or not this team can turn things around, and it’s even more difficult to predict whether or not they will be contenders after Kevin Durant returns.
Because Kevin Durant can’t be stopped, it’ll be intriguing to see how both of these teams line up. There is no one on the Hornets’ roster who can even come close to slowing down Durant, which is a significant problem.
If everything goes smoothly for Charlotte, this might be an intriguing series. The Hornets get to the paint effectively and have an explosive offensive when they’re on their game. Brooklyn has a below-average defense inside; getting to the rim is going to be important for Charlotte.
1. Sixers
The Charlotte Hornets’ toughest opponent might be the Philadelphia 76ers. They won’t be able to make Joel Embiid’s life tough in any manner, which will be a major problem. Embiid will get all he wants against the Hornets’ defense.
While there is no way to stop players like Joel Embiid, other Eastern Conference teams have defenders who might at the very least make things tough for him. You must, at the absolute least, be able to get him tired in the fourth quarter so that he does not have total control of the whole game.
The Hornets will have a significant issue with this because, as we saw last time they played, Joel Embiid got all he wanted. Now we have to factor in the reality that James Harden will be another player to watch out for. While Harden hasn’t been at his best this season, he is still a player that other teams must be concerned about.