The Charlotte Hornets’ night off on Sunday gave the players and staff free time to watch Super Bowl LX. It’s unclear who among them did, but the Seattle Seahawks successful run to the title could provide the Hornets with the inspiration on how to translate their current success into sustained competitiveness.
Re-establishing their identity
The Seahawks accomplished a Super Bowl feat not seen since the 2020 NFL season — holding an opponent to fewer than 20 points in the championship game. The contest was a brutal defensive battle in the first three quarters, as they held the New England Patriots scoreless entering the final period. Meanwhile, all 12 of their points came on four field goals (scoring plays in football when a kicker successfully launches the ball between the goalposts).
Touchdowns finally made an appearance during the fourth frame, but the Seahawks only continued to build on their 12-0 lead. They ultimately completed the 29-13 victory to secure their second Super Bowl in franchise history. Seattle’s first title came over a decade ago in the middle of its “Legion of Boom” era, a time when it unleashed one of the NFL’s most daunting defenses. It’s only fitting that its second championship arrived in a season in which it allowed the fewest points in the league.
The Seahawks are proof that defense wins championships. So, if the Hornets want to make some noise in the NBA, they have to be one of the Association’s better defensive clubs.
The good news is that they have already shown the potential to be a juggernaut on the defensive end. After a poor start to the 2025-26 campaign in limiting opponents’ offense, they were among the top-ranked defenses in January.
Charlotte’s defensive turnaround appears to have extended to February. It prevented its first two matchups from reaching 100 points this February, although the Atlanta Hawks managed to score 119 against it on Saturday. Fortunately, it ended up with the win, its ninth consecutive overall.
It remains to be seen whether the Hornets can maintain their strong defensive performance going forward. The players, though, look like they have bought into Charles Lee’s system. Moussa Diabate has emerged as an effective defensive anchor and leader for the team. His fellow starters have outplayed expectations, while the reserves, namely Sion James, Josh Green, Grant Williams, and Ryan Kalkbrenner, have been plus-defenders on most nights.
Trusting a QB that had been written off
It’s worth noting that the Seahawks’ offense was able to keep up with its defense in the recently concluded 2025 NFL season. The head of the snake is quarterback Sam Darnold, the No. 3 pick of the 2018 draft, who had been deemed a bust by some outlets before he turned his career around after signing with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024. He then joined Seattle before this season, and the rest is history.
In some ways, the flak that had surrounded Darnold may have been unfair, as various injuries and ailments hounded him during his early years in the professional ranks.
If that sounds familiar to the Hornets faithful, that’s because LaMelo Ball has had to deal with similar criticisms despite battling plenty of injuries and advanced stats demonstrating how valuable he is to the team and its struggles whenever he is off the floor.
The Seahawks’ trust in Darnold when they added him in the 2025 offseason paid off big time. Ball, now that he is healthy, has similarly catalyzed a winning transformation in Charlotte, and the franchise has to continue to trust him to run the offense and help lead it to the promised land.