Many Charlotte Hornets fans are probably wondering when they can see the team competing in the playoffs. If it plays its cards right in the near future, it can finally transition from the rebuilding phase to the contending phase. For inspiration, the Hornets can look at the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, and Houston Rockets.
Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report discussed the overreaction he has for each NBA team, with his "hyperbolic" theory for Charlotte is that it is "miles from playoff contention." To clarify, Hughes seems to believe that while competitive hoops still seem far away for Buzz City, the rebuild can quickly flip with the right moves. He cited the defending champion and two of the possible title contenders this season as examples.
It was only a few years ago when the Thunder had two straight seasons of finishing 14th in the Western Conference. However, they managed to quickly rise in the standings, going from the 10th seed in the West in the 2022-23 campaign to holding the pole position after the 2023-24 regular season. Then, Oklahoma City secured its first-ever championship last season.
The Magic were in a similar boat to Charlotte from 2013 to 2023, consistently placing in the bottom five of the East. The only exceptions were in 2019 and 2020, when they managed to reach the playoffs, only to be bounced in five contests each time. Orlando has made it back to the grand stage in the past two campaigns and is one of the favorites to come out on top of the conference this season. Perhaps a trade with the Hornets could grant it the reinforcement it needs to boost its chances.
Meanwhile, the Rockets have likely already forgotten their three-season stretch (2021-2023) of ranking 14th or 15th in the West. They were able to secure the No. 2 seed in the 2025 playoffs without a superstar and then brought in a Kevin Durant-sized reinforcement this summer.
Hornets should take pages out of those teams' books in building the roster
What do Oklahoma City, Orlando, and Houston have in common? For one, they stayed patient and weathered the storm by making the right decisions in the past drafts (for the most part) and cashing in their chips at the right time. If that sounds familiar, that's what the Hornets have done and are planning to do under the leadership of team president Jeff Peterson.
Charlotte's foundation is nearly set with LaMelo Ball, who the front office could also decide to flip for assets if he fails to live up to expectations, Brandon Miller, and Kon Knueppel. Furthermore, the franchise has a boatload of assets that it could take advantage of to build a stronger roster in the following years.
A lot of Hornets fans have remained patient for a while now, and their faith may finally be rewarded soon. Let's hope that indeed turns out to be the case for the long-embattled franchise.