Can the Hornets make the playoffs? Here are five things that could determine their fate
.JPG "Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, left and forward Miles Bridges, center, react to an officials foul call during action against the Chicago Bulls at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC on Wednesday, February 9, 2022. The Bulls defeated the Hornets 121-109.")
Break out a comfortable pair of sneakers. The sprint is on for the Charlotte Hornets.
Despite being fresh off a much-needed, five-day All-Star break, there isn’t much time left for them to get their act together and rectify the things that have led to losing nine of their last 10 games. All the momentum they generated is slowly seeping out and their grip on a potential playoff berth is tenuous.
They head into Thursday night’s action tied for ninth in the Eastern Conference — just one game shy of falling out of play-in tournament positioning.
Still, with 22 games remaining beginning with Friday’s matchup against Toronto at Spectrum Center, the Hornets (29-31) hold their fate in their own hands. If they miss out on their goal of making it to the postseason, they blame goes directly to them.
“This is an exciting time,” coach James Borrego said. “We’re in the mix. That’s the beautiful part — we’ve put ourselves in the mix. Could we be in a better position? Yes. Could we be in a worse position? Yes.
“Obviously, things have not gone our way in the last 10 games, but we have a great opportunity. And that’s the focus right now with our group. We have a great opportunity in front of us. Let’s make the most of it.”
With the final dash underway for the Hornets, here are five things to look for that could determine whether they are among the teams that will be in the playoffs when they tip off in April:
RIDING THE LAMELO TRAIN
Absorb these numbers: 22.8 points, 7.3 assists and 6.4 rebounds to go along with nailing 39.2 percent beyond the arc. That’s what LaMelo Ball averaged over his last 10 games.
While others may have shown signs of needing a day or two to recuperate, Ball’s 20-year-old legs appeared spry in the All-Star Game in Cleveland on Sunday. He posted 18 points, which was the sixth-highest total in the game.
Tapping into Ball’s youthful exuberance and riding his coattails are a must if the Hornets are going to find a way to revert back to the form that had them knocking on the doorsteps of the sixth seed.
“Melo is very comfortable, he’s very confident in himself,” Borrego said. “I think just trusting himself to go out there and hold guys accountable is important for us as we move forward. Because he does have the respect of his teammates. He’s now an All-Star, a proven All-Star. So now my belief and hope is that he will carry himself that way and hold himself to a higher standard. And that’s what the greats do.”
WILL THE DEPTH HOLD UP?
As the Hornets prepared to get going again, two faces remained absent in the pair of practices leading into their outing with the Raptors: Gordon Hayward and Jalen McDaniels.
Both are still sidelined and while Hayward appears to be slowly inching toward a return from a sprained left ankle, there continues to be no definitive timetable on exactly how long they will be without him. Borrego said he’s optmistic Hayward will be back before season’s end but didn’t have much of an update.
McDaniels, meanwhile, hasn’t played since he was injured Jan. 21, and Borrego said the third-year forward isn’t quite ready for live action. At least Cody Martin is poised to return after missing the past six games nursing a sore left Achilles and that should help.
Keeping their core from wearing down and bearing too much of the brunt of a minutes grind has to be on the minds of the coaching staff. There is a fine line they must straddle and whether they have enough to reach the playoffs — or at worst the play-in tournament for the second straight season — is largely dependent on health. They can’t afford to lose many more games to injury.
Their roster has been tested and that isn’t going to change much over these next two months.
“It’s tough because that’s a big part of who we are, is our depth,” Martin said. “And not having that puts us in a weird position. But it gives guys an opportunity. It is tough for guys that have played high minutes and having to play higher minutes with guys being out.
“We learn from those experiences and coming back, adding more depth, I think that we are going to be where we need to be to compete at a high level. We’ve just got to focus on getting the job done and focus on on the details.”
HOW MONTREZL HARRELL SETTLES IN
When the Hornets first acquired Montrezl Harell, his first few days were a whirlwind.
Harrell found himself on the floor with his new team some 24 hours after getting traded from Washington and played in games on successive nights. Being thrust into the mix immediately didn’t give him much of an opportunity to ease into the Hornets’ schemes and mesh with his teammates. He didn’t do too shabby in the four games with them prior to the All-Star break, averaging 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds.
Still, he’s now had a little more time to get acclimated to his new surroundings and dive into the team’s philosophies following a crash course in the days upon his arrival. He’s going to be an important piece for them down the stretch because of his ability to finish at the rim, his emotional, fiery nature and overall competitive spirit.
There is also surely going to be debate over the coming days and weeks regarding whether Harrell should replace Mason Plumlee at starter, allowing the Hornets to bring Plumlee off the bench. However, the real thing to keep an eye on is this: Will Harrell be a member of the game-closing unit?
It could depend on how quickly he picks up everything and the two days of practice after the break have been beneficial.
“We are trying to keep it as simple as possible not only for Trez but for our team in general right now,” Borrego said. “The simpler the better for us. Bringing great effort, great energy to a simple scheme right now is important for us. But Trez is a big part of that. Making sure we simplify the scheme for him, allowing him to just do what he does well and that’s play with great energy, passion and instinct.”
FIND A REMEMDY FOR THE FREE-THROW ILLS
Think about how much different things could be if the Hornets weren’t victimized by their own doing.
In their last two agonizing defeats, both coming after they couldn’t settle things in regulation, the Hornets literally had wins at their fingertips. All they needed to do was make a free throw in a pressurized situation. They failed both times. Miles Bridges’ missed free throw with nine seconds left regulation in Minnesota and Harrell’s failed second attempt in his pair with 1.7 seconds remaining in the first overtime against Miami cost them victories.
Really, though, it’s a microcosm of a larger issue that’s doomed the Hornets often this season. Their 73.7 percent showing from the free-throw line ranks 27th in the league. Only Houston (71.6), the Los Angeles Lakers (72) and Memphis (73.4) were worse heading into post All-Star break competition ramping back up Thursday night.
Just for reference, only four of the teams among the bottom 10 are contending for a postseason berth. So continuing to knock them down at the same rate could lead to a fatal blow for those playoff hopes.
“We make two free throws, we win the last two games,” Borrego said. “I’ll just continue to trust our guys. They are getting the reps in, they are getting the shots up. It’s between the ears more than anything. Just stay confident. Keep believing those shots will fall.”
HOW OFTEN WILL THE REAL PJ WASHINGTON APPEAR?
Toward the tail end of January and earlier this month, PJ Washington was in a good groove. He registered at least 10 points five times during a six-game stretch prior to hitting a rough patch in his final five games before the break, when he cracked double figures in scoring just twice.
The Hornets could use more of the 15-point, 14-rebound type of performance Washington put up against Miami on Feb. 17. He’s been inserted as the starting power forward in their last two games — a place he could be slotted in until Hayward’s presumed return.
With Harrell’s arrival, Washington slides back into more of a comfort zone playing his natural position of power forward. While he can be effective as a stretch “5” by taking the opponent’s big man out of the paint thanks to his jump shot, he can also become too reliant on firing off 3-pointers. Perhaps going up against players who are closer to his height will inspire him to either drive to the basket or post his man up more frequently.
“There is an advantage for him there as well,” Borrego said. “Obviously, he’s been really good for us at ‘5’ the last two years. You get more depth. It will push Miles to some ‘3.’ ”
Either way, Washington’s consistency is among the many big keys for the Hornets.
