Charlotte Hornets: 5 Games that show hope for team’s future

November 5th, Hornets vs. Pacers 122-120 OT

This contest can be boiled down to the dominant performance of one player, Devonte’ Graham. His 18 points in the fourth quarter and overtime combined finished off a ferocious Hornets comeback.

Graham fell to the second round of the 2018 NBA draft after completing an illustrious career at the University of Kansas, which saw him receive a first-team All-American nod in 2018.

Against Indiana earlier this season, he proved that ‘older’ players coming into the draft should not be underrated. The North Carolina native’s breakout performance in this contest sparked a season-long hot streak that saw improvements across the board statistically.

Borrego’s confidence in the 6-1 guard proved successful as it was becoming clear after this game that he had found a rotational piece at the minimum in Graham.

Unsung heroes of this game include Cody Martin and Bismack Biyombo. Their extra efforts on the glass and defense were vital in securing this victory. Particularly, an ill-advised deep three from Graham early in overtime could’ve spelled disaster for the Hornets who were already reeling at the time.

However, the 27-year-old center was able to get a hand up and barely tip the ball off the glass to himself and finally into the hoop for the important deuce.

Martin saw crunch time minutes in this game. The Nevada product’s 6-10 wingspan did not fail to disappoint. His grittiness and determination poked balls loose left and right, throwing Indiana’s guards off at every turn.