2024 is about to end, and it has been the same old story for the Charlotte Hornets. Unless they can finish several games above .500 for the remainder of the season, they are on the way to another losing campaign.
The team could have had a higher chance of proving that it is greater than it was in previous seasons by at least putting up a decent showing this December. As it turned out, the Hornets are one step closer to matching their one-win record in the same month last year.
Despite the gloomy outlook, there have still been several silver linings for the franchise, giving fans a bit of hope that better days are ahead.
Hornets have been a strong fourth-quarter team this season
For one, Charlotte is surprisingly one of the top teams in the league in the fourth quarter.
Its offensive rating of 114.2 in the period ranks eighth in the league, and it would have placed higher on the list if not for its recent slump. Meanwhile, the Hornets' defensive rating in the same stretch is better than that of more than half of the teams.
LaMelo Ball is one of the reasons the Hornets have a top-10 offensive rating in the fourth period. Before he went down with a strained calf, he was on the way to breaking an NBA record. That would have put him in good company because the players he would have surpassed include the likes of Russell Westbrook and James Harden.
Brandon Miller has also been good for some occasional outbursts in the clutch, registering a handful of games where he scored in double-digits in the final stanza.
So, between the two Hornets cornerstones, the team has plenty of potential offensive firepower down the stretch. On defense is where folks might be surprised, as the squad's ability to turn it up on that end of the floor has turned a lot of heads. For instance, Charlotte has managed to hold its opponents in the previous five games to 23 points or below in the last period. It even limited the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 16-point fourth quarter.
Unfortunately, the Hornets have kept digging themselves huge holes in the earlier parts of contests that not even their impressive offense or defense (or both) would be enough to give them the win. Moreover, they have shown some problems executing during crunch time, and their late rallies usually go for naught.
Hopefully, the team will resolve to work on its issues in the new year, including addressing its typical slow starts in matches and not waiting to bring the fight to its foes until the fourth quarter.