Yahoo Sports senior NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor examines the similarities and the differences between this season’s Charlotte Hornets and last season’s Indiana Pacers. Check out the full conversation on “The Kevin O’Connor Show” and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
View more
Advertisement
Video Transcript
Got a great mailbag question from Hunter, who asked, “Do you think the Hornets are this year’s Pacers?”
The Hornets this year got off to a really slow start, just like the Pacers did a year ago.
They have an explosive offense led by a creative playmaker, Haliburton for the Pacers, LaMelo Ball for the Hornets, and they have a whole roster full of players that can attack off the dribble, and I think Hunter is right about that.
Now, with In- with Indiana last year, they were 30 and 23 after 53 games, and then they turned their season around right after the NBA Cup in the middle of December.
Advertisement
Big difference from Charlotte, who is 25 and 28.
They started seven and eight, 18 on the year, then they had a 500-ish stretch.
They were nine and 10, and they’ve won nine games in a row.
So their, their push has started a little bit later than the, the Indiana’s has, but ultimately with the, with the Hornets, there could be something to this.
There could be something to it, and that’s in part because of the fact that defense is fueling this nine and O stretch.
Over this stretch, they have the number three defensive rating in the league.
They held the Spurs to 106.
Wemby had only 19 points on 15 shots in the game.
Advertisement
The Rockets had 99 points.
Shengun had only seven points on 11 shots in that game, and the common denominator in all of this is Musa Diabate.
He’s been sensational for the Hornets.
The Hornets have a team best plus 26.8 with him on the floor this year.
Charlotte’s defense feels like it’s legit.
Obviously, they have to sustain it, so are they this year’s Pacers?
They’re probably not making the finals.
The East is really good this year, but they might be this year’s Pacers in terms of the fact that at this time last year, I was saying the same thing about Indiana.
I, I didn’t think Indiana was gonna be the team representing the East in the finals, and then they were.
Advertisement
So with Charlotte, at the least, they feel like a team that is prepared to take a big leap next year, and so I’m buying stock in the Charlotte Hornets.
They started the year as a fun team when they were struggling, one of the funnest watches in basketball.
Then they became competent, and now they’ve been great.