Writers’ Round-table: Charlotte Hornets November Recap
With the month coming to a close, it is time for the writers of Swarm and Sting to discuss the month of November for the Charlotte Hornets.
The Hornets have a lot to look forward to as they go into the month of December. While November featured some games in which the Hornets’ could not close out a few close games, they were still able to beat teams like the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics.
Hornets’ star Kemba Walker was also able to drop sixty points in a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, and managed to drop forty-three in the win against the Celtics three days later. The Hornets had many rough patches this month, but it turned out to very exciting.
The Hornets are currently (11-10) through twenty-one games, and they have a chance to win their third in a row tonight against the Utah Jazz; this will be the final game of the month. So far this season, the Hornets have not been able to win more than two games in a row, and they have never lost more than two in a row.
With so much to analyze from this month, the writers of Swarm and Sting will not answer questions about the Hornets in the month of November.
More from Swarm and Sting
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- Grade the mock trade: Hornets snag Tyler Herro, flip Gordon Hayward
- Will the Charlotte Hornets be in the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery?
1. How have the Charlotte Hornets performed this month?
Giovanni Spillman (@GioVSpillman): The Hornets have had a static month of November. As mentioned before, they have not won or lost more than two games in a row. With some bad losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks, the Hornets must learn to close out close games. The loss that hurt the most was the one where Kemba Walker dropped 60, and still lost against the 76ers.
Zachary Padmore (@ZP12Hoops): The Charlotte Hornets dealt with some inconsistency in the month of November, picking up some surprise wins but also losing games that they really should have one. Inconsistency has been a big problem for this team in the early portions of the season, and they’re going to need to clean that up ASAP.
Elijah Edwards (@Elijah_Blue_03): I feel like this team is better than their record. They have 11 games decided by five points or less, but they’ve only won three of those games. Their three losses to the 76ers have all been close. They nearly defeated the Bucks in the first game of the season. For some reason, they just can’t win close ones. I think that will change eventually.
De White (@DeDashCray): I think being 11-10 doesn’t fully show how much the team improved, but at the same me that record shows how much we still have to learn. We’ve had eight of our ten losses from close game situations of five or fewer points, and we just couldn’t close it out. That shows how good we could be, just a few points away from possibly a top-5 position in the east. Yeah, we’re preying good at times, but we still have moments to where we’ve been stale and can’t buy a basket too. Beating Orlando but losing to Atlanta stung badly. So being good but not great seems like the best way to explain it.
Stephen Waniewski (@SF1newski): Unfortunately, this month, the Charlotte Hornets and the weather of November could be described the same way; sometimes nearly perfect, sometimes frigid and dreary. Through twelve games, the squad has six wins and six losses. Wins against Boston and Milwaukee felt great, had a playoff vibe. However, L’s to Cleveland and Atlanta, yuck. And this is me not talking about the Philly games, not at all. Not talking about Kemba putting up 60 at home and losing.
Nick Cipriani (@nickcipriani16): Personally, I think they could have performed better. I am pleased with how the team is developing, and it’s wonderful to see “team” victories, but this month was slightly disappointing. The two OT losses to the 76ers were very tough games. The blown lead and loss to OKC was also a tough one to swallow. If you look at it realistically, we had the opportunity to win every single game in the month of November. The loss in Cleveland was a complete meltdown as well as the loss to Atlanta.
Yes, Kemba has played incredible this season, and it was great to see national media picking up Kemba, and the Charlotte Hornets, but, it hurts to see every media outlet (who do not know anything about this team), only talk about possible trade packages to get him out of Charlotte. No, sorry NBA, you can not have our Captain. Jeremy Lamb’s play was exceptional, and I hope he continues to improve.
He can be a 20 PPG player if he continues to work hard. The team is coming together, the rotation is sporadic at the moment, and I am not sure in December if we will see a definitive rotation. I fully support riding the hot hand when he comes to players off the bench. Hoping December can further bring this team together, continue to improve our defense (thank you MKG), and help us climb the standings. Also, can we please win some more close games?