Teams don’t usually duck opponents in the playoffs, but some Eastern Conference squads should be wary of facing the Charlotte Hornets in a seven-game series because of the rising contender’s potent offense. It’s tough to craft a defensive game plan against it because it has four players who can score at least 30 on any given night.
Charlotte’s scoring savants
The Hornets’ Thursday win saw Brandon Miller record 33 points in 26 minutes. Kon Knueppel was two points shy of reaching the mark, and if the contest didn’t turn out to be a 133-109 romp of the Indiana Pacers, he would have likely scored more.
Meanwhile, in Charlotte’s 129-112 rout of the Washington Wizards on Sunday, it was LaMelo Ball who had a scoring explosion, dropping a 37-piece while playing just 27 minutes. Knueppel had his turn to shine in the previous contest, putting up 33 points in the squad’s heartbreaking loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
With the three stars taking care of business on offense on most game days, Miles Bridges has not had to do so much on offense and gotten rid of his shot-chucking reputation, focusing instead on finding high-quality shots and providing space for his teammates. However, he is more than capable of eclipsing 30 points, if needed. He has actually done it five times earlier this season when the Hornets were dealing with various injuries.
It’s also worth noting that they have another guy who can go on a scoring binge: Tre Mann. The combo guard has been struggling so far this year, but he developed a reputation as a microwave scorer in his first one-and-a-half seasons in Charlotte.
More than just an offensive-minded club
While the Hornets’ offense should put other teams on notice, they have shown they can win even on their cold-shooting nights.
Boasting a top-ranked defense in the past two months, Charlotte can grind out dubs if it comes to that. To prove the point, since the start of January, it has held the Oklahoma City Thunder to 97 points, the Denver Nuggets (albeit without Nikola Jokic) to 95 points, the San Antonio Spurs to 106 points, and the Houston Rockets to 99 points. Those are currently the top four in the Western Conference standings.
It remains to be seen if the Hornets can sustain their productivity on offense and defense during the remainder of the regular season. Considering that they have a favorable schedule during the campaign’s home stretch, let’s hope they can continue being a beast on both ends of the floor. And after that? There’s little reason to believe all of Ball, Miller, Knueppel, and Bridges will wilt under the bright lights of the postseason.