Charlotte Hornets
30-32, 9th in the Eastern Conference
This season has been very bumpy for the Charlotte Hornets, as it seems like they will go on a multi-game win-streak and then follow it up with 4-5, possibly even 6 losses in a row. Once 28-22 and looking good for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, the Hornets have lost 11 of their last 13 games and are now just 30-32 on the season.
Charlotte currently finds themselves still in the play-in tournament picture in the Eastern Conference, but they are now 5.5 games back from the 6-seeded Celtics for an outright playoff spot and now tied with the Atlanta Hawks in the standings for the 9-seed in the East.
LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges can only do so much for this team offensively and defensively, the Hornets have not improved at all as the season has progressed.
The Hornets are giving up an average of 114.6 points per game to their opponents, the second-most points allowed per game in the league this season and while they are a great offensive team, their lackluster defense has been their downfall as of late.
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The good news for the Hornets though is that 9 of their remaining 20 games are against teams that currently have a losing record and they will face the Nets, Hawks, Wizards, and Knicks a total of six times down the stretch, all of these teams battling for position in the play-in tournament region of the conference standings.
The Hornets certainly have enough talent to make the play-in tournament this season and possibly the field of eight teams in the actual playoffs for the first time since 2016, but Gordon Hayward being out with an ankle injury could wind up hurting them.
Since Hayward has been out of the lineup, the Hornets have gone 2-6 and it does not appear that he is going to be coming back anytime soon. Charlotte may have trouble finding their footing without their veteran leader the rest of the season, yet they still seem somewhat safe in the play-in tournament picture.
It is hard to imagine that the Knicks or Wizards will move into the 9-seed or 10-seed slot this season, which is why the Hornets are still somewhat comfortable.
PANIC METER (1-10): 5
