The New Year usually brings new hope, and the Charlotte Hornets need plenty of it, considering how low the team has fallen in the first two months of the 2024-25 regular season.
After starting the campaign with a 4-5 record, it won three of its next 22 contests, including just one in December. And as many people around the NBA have said, "You are what your record says you are." At 7-24 (.219 winning percentage), the Hornets are just not good at basketball right now. They are even on track to finish with a worse standing than last season when they went 21-61 (.256).
As a silver lining for Charlotte, other teams might have it worse. The caveat? There's not a lot of squads that placed lower than them in NBA.com's last power rankings, courtesy of John Schuhmann, of the calendar year.
The rankings
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- New York Knicks
- Boston Celtics
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Dallas Mavericks
- Houston Rockets
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Miami Heat
- Orlando Magic
- LA Clippers
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Denver Nuggets
- Atlanta Hawks
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Indiana Pacers
- Golden State Warriors
- Philadelphia 76ers
- San Antonio Spurs
- Phoenix Suns
- Chicago Bulls
- Detroit Pistons
- Sacramento Kings
- Brooklyn Nets
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Utah Jazz
- Washington Wizards
- Toronto Raptors
- Charlotte Hornets
- New Orleans Pelicans
The judgment
Is it fair to place the Hornets beneath the Wizards and Raptors?
It's worth noting that Washington holds the 15th spot in the East, although it has the same number of losses as Charlotte. It may also be embarrassing to acknowledge that two of the Wizards' five wins have come against the team from Queen City. The second meeting even transpired after the Hornets held a players-only meeting.
As for Toronto, the Canada-based squad has been colder in recent weeks, having lost its past 10 games. It even allowed its previous three opponents to score an average of 143.3 points per contest. However, Schuhmann probably thought that the Hornets were more disappointing. Who can blame him?
Hopefully, Charlotte won't tumble further because faring even worse than the Pelicans would be quite shameful. Saying there's no way but up might be too cliche, but that's the mindset the organization has to manifest if it wants to finish in a respectable position by the end of the campaign.
The good news is that the team has yet to field its lineup at full strength. The Hornets might not reach that status, given Grant Williams' season-ending injury. Still, if the likes of LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller ever get a clean bill of health this year, Charlotte can potentially rise in the following weeks' power rankings.