Plenty of growing pains should be expected from the Charlotte Hornets. After all, their best players are 23 and under, and they have a rookie coach who will turn 40 next month.
Still, this season should provide the squad with a lot of lessons, which could help it in its pursuit of becoming a legitimate contender sometime in the future.
The Hornets got off to a good start, defeating the Houston Rockets in their season opener behind LaMelo Ball's A+ performance off a lengthy layoff. For a while in the Wednesday contest, it looked like Charlotte was ending the evening with a 0-1 record, as it needed a second-half rally to steal the road victory.
Hornets' slow start is already a problem
The Hive scored 21 points on 7-27 shooting against Houston, and if it weren't for their 61-point second half, the opponent probably would have gone home with the win. Ball was stellar in the final three periods but saved the best for last by scoring 12 in the fourth quarter, including seven in the final 2:10.
He also had help from his teammates, including Tre Mann, who kickstarted his Sixth Man of the Year campaign with 24 points and six rebounds. Defense (held the Rockets to 45 points after halftime) and rebounding (56 total boards and 15 on the offensive end) also proved to be the Hornets' strong suits.
However, if the squad wants to develop into an elite Eastern Conference team, it has to learn to start better in order not to play catch-up on most nights.
Unfortunately, the Hornets performed badly in the opening period for the second consecutive game. Against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, they put up just 16 points in the first quarter on 6-19 shooting. Ball played passively in the scoring department, attempting just one field goal. Mann also failed to provide a spark off the bench early, going 1-5 in the period.
The good news is that Charlotte has shown that no lead is safe against it. But instead of a second-half comeback, it started its recovery earlier, outscoring the Hawks 42-34 in the second quarter to narrow the margin to 62-58 entering halftime.
Ball finished the half with 18 points. Meanwhile, Miles Bridges has made up for Brandon Miller's absence by scoring 15 points, although the team was a -10 in his first 13 minutes of action.
It remains to be seen if the Hornets can complete a comeback victory on the road for the second straight match. Hopefully, though, the Hornets won't always have to play from behind in their succeeding games.