Charlotte Hornets officially miss out on 2019 NBA Playoffs
The Charlotte Hornets playoff hopes came down to the last day of the regular season, but in the end, they will miss the playoffs for a third straight year.
Charlotte Hornets fans had developed some hope for the playoffs over the past few weeks of the season, despite the small odds of actually clinching a playoff birth. They did give it a good run, but the Hornets season is now over and it’s time to prepare for what will be an emotional off-season.
The season came down to two games on Wednesday night. The Hornets needed to defeat the Magic, and they needed the Knicks to defeat the Pistons. The big lesson to take away from this is… don’t let your season get to the point where you have to put your faith in the Knicks.
Detroit easily got a win over New York, and Charlotte couldn’t even get the job done against Orlando, despite 43 points from Kemba Walker, in what could have been his final game as a member of the Charlotte Hornets.
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It was a pretty wild, up-and-down season for the Hornets in 2018-19. I have to give them credit for fighting hard and trying to do whatever it takes to get to the playoffs despite the injuries and constant shifting rotations.
Starting center Cody Zeller missed the final 16 games of the season with a knee injury, which definitely hurt. Marvin Williams was battling a foot injury towards the end of the season, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was banged up throughout the season.
The Hornets won 36 games last season, so with 39 wins this season, they made a three-win improvement. Last summer, they hired James Borrego as Head Coach, and I think he had a pretty solid first season in Charlotte.
I mean, let’s face it, the Hornets roster outside of Kemba Walker, Jeremy Lamb and a few others isn’t extremely talented. Borrego got them one win away from the playoffs, and even in the Eastern Conference, that’s impressive, especially for a first-year Head Coach.
Borrego was the Interim Head Coach for the Magic in 2014-15 season, but this was his first year as a full-time Head Coach.
Obviously, the future of this franchise depends on the decision that Kemba Walker makes in free agency. If he re-signs with Charlotte, they will try to build off of this season and get into the playoffs next season.
If he does not re-sign, though, then that would signify a major rebuild for the Hornets. There will be a lot of eyes on this team during the summer, and there will be a lot of pressure on General Manager Mitch Kupchak.
Overall, making the playoffs is disappointing, but I think the Hornets showed some really nice signs at the end of the season. Miles Bridges looked great in the second half of the season, and they had some signature wins against Toronto.
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The fans will be frustrated, and they have every right to be, but at least after this summer, the team will have a clear direction moving forward.