It’s time for the Charlotte Hornets to embrace the tank

It would take nothing short of a miracle for the Charlotte Hornets to make the playoffs this year. If they are going to lose, they might as well secure a better draft pick and play their rookies.

Almost ⅔ of the way through the 2017-18 season and the Charlotte Hornets sit at disappointing 23-33. Outside of Kemba Walker and sometimes Dwight Howard, they’ve been a dumpster fire this year. They are 10 games under .500, in 10th place in the Eastern Conference and show little signs of turning things around. Rather than attempt to make a second-half push for the playoffs, this team should be looking towards their future.

At this point in the season, the Hornets are closer to having the worst record in the Eastern Conference than they are to the eighth seed. Charlotte’s are only 5.5 games ahead of the Atlanta Hawks who are last in the East at 18-39. Conversely, they are 6.5 back of the Philadelphia 76ers who sit in the eighth and final playoff spot with a record of 28-25.

The Hornets haven’t been above .500 since November 3rd when they were 5-4. They are only 8-18 away from home with 15 of their final 16 games coming on the road. Looking at the current squad, even if they don’t tank, it’s unlikely that they make the playoffs. They will only win enough games to secure a lottery pick outside of the top-10.

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While many in the organization believe that they can still make the postseason, it’s is improbable that they actually will when it’s all said and done. ESPN’s FiveThirtyEight.com only gives Charlotte a 10% chance to make the playoffs. That’s the lowest percentage among teams that have over at least 1%. The Hornets are projected to finish the 2017-18 campaign with a 37-45 record which would place them 10th in the East.

Tanking would most importantly help them in terms of draft positioning. This isn’t an extremely deep draft like 2017 was but it is top heavy and there are some exciting prospects that could be had inside the top-10.

The great thing is, they can silently tank. They can shut down Nicolas Batum, who has been dealing with an elbow injury, for the rest of the season which would also allow them to give more playing time to young prospects like Malik Monk and Dwayne Bacon. They could also give Kemba Walker fewer minutes as he’s averaging 35 minutes per game which ranks 16th in the NBA and is the third-most among all point guards.

More recently, there have been more than a few games where Steve Clifford leaves Kemba in for the entire second half. That kind of mileage can do some serious wear and tear on a player’s body. If Walker is the Hornets’ future then they should risk playing him almost 40 minutes a night just so that they can squeak into the eighth seed.

Also, Dwight Howard, who is 32-years old and has overcome a number of injuries, could also be given fewer minutes. He’s totaled the fifth-most minutes among centers this season. He only has one year left on his current deal but if Charlotte intends to keep him, he will be a vital part of the team next year which means they should limit his minutes for the remainder of this season.

At this point, there isn’t much an incentive for the Hornets not to tank. Just to make the eighth seed, they would probably have to win about 20 of their final 26 games which is doubtful. Even if they did somehow make the playoffs, they would be up against either the Toronto Raptors or the Boston Celtics which would most likely result in a four-game sweep.

If they go 13-13, it would just keep them in mediocrity. If they aren’t going to make the playoffs anyway, might as well try to get a better draft pick. Especially considering how poorly they’ve selected over the past few years.

While there were high expectations surrounding this team before the season started, it’s time to accept reality and make the most of a lost season.

Next: Kemba Walker named to the 2018 NBA All-Star Game

The Charlotte Hornets have the 11th worst record in the NBA. If they were to tank, they could easily fall among the bottom-10 and possibly into the bottom-eight. Getting those extra ping-pong balls matter once the draft lottery comes around. It’s time for the Queen City team to embrace what the Philadelphia 76ers made famous just a few years ago.