Bill Simmons can see the Charlotte Hornets’ record and the early shape of the standings, and he’s willing to call what he sees. At 3-1, with the best record in the Eastern Conference, Charlotte has the kind of start that invites bigger conversations. But the picture gets messier the moment you look past the number in the standings.
“They look like a playoff team... they're holding the fort,” he said. Simmons also singled out Brandon Miller after the guard’s huge night, adding, “Brandon Miller had the best game of his probably NBA career yesterday and looked like a Paul Pierce, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown level, like this is gonna be an All-NBA guy.”
Miller’s performance was the headline on the floor, and the box score backed it up. He finished with a career-high 39 points to help push the Hornets to 3-1.
Simmons clearly thinks Charlotte may be buying time until more help arrives, with Kon Knueppel, Coby White, and Grant Williams expected back. In that view, piling up wins while short-handed gives the Hornets a chance to stay in the race once the roster fills out.
He also noted a concern: Charlotte is leaning heavily on Dennis Schröder, especially late in close games. Still, Simmons made the case that if the Hornets can hang around .500 until they’re whole again, they could work themselves into the playoff picture.
The problem is that the schedule hasn’t really put Charlotte to the test yet. The Hawks are the only playoff team from last season the Hornets have faced, and Charlotte blew them out by nearly 50 points. Beyond that, the wins have come against weaker opponents, and they have not exactly been pretty.
The biggest reason for the early success is simple. The Hornets rebound extremely well, and that’s carrying a lot of weight right now. They’re also solid at the free-throw line, but the volume is an issue: Charlotte averages just 17.3 free throws per game, the fewest in the NBA and barely half of what the Chicago Bulls are attempting.
That’s why the 3-1 start can feel both real and fragile at the same time. The record says one thing.
The underlying numbers say something else. Simmons may be right that better days are ahead with Knueppel and White back in the mix, but the idea that this group already looks like a playoff team is a tougher sell.
In Other News...
Brandon Miller Is Making Charlottes Massive Bet Look Very Different
Brandon Millers latest burst has given Charlotte something it has not always had around its young core: a wing scorer who can change the look of a night in a hurry. The Hornets forward has piled up 73 points over his last two games, and the surge has only sharpened the sense that his role in Charlottes long-term plans is growing by the week. The front office certainly acted like it believed that when it handed him a five-year, $209 million extension, a move that tied the franchise more tightly to his development.
What makes the stretch even more notable is the way Miller is creating offense, not just finishing it. Jeff Teague recently drew a comparison between Miller and a young Paul George, suggesting the Hornets forward may already have a more polished offensive package at this stage, even if George had a steadier rsum by the same age. For Charlotte, the bigger question now is not whether Miller belongs in the buildings future, but how quickly his latest scoring run can become the norm rather than the exception. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets 3-1 Start Faces Its First Real Road Test In Detroit
Charlottes 3-1 start gets its first true road exam in Detroit, and it comes against a Pistons team that has made life difficult for the Hornets in recent seasons. The matchup has long been uncomfortable for Charlotte because of Detroits physical style and the way it can crowd the floor with switchable defenders, which tends to squeeze the Hornets offense when shots stop falling.
The timing may help a little, with Detroit playing the second night of a back-to-back, but the Hornets still have to navigate a game that figures to test their patience and shot creation. With the Pistons missing Jalen Duren, Charlotte has an opening inside, yet the broader issue is whether the Hornets can handle a defense built to take away clean perimeter looks and force a young team into tough possessions. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Need Unexpected Help To Survive Detroits Toughest Test Yet
Charlottes latest matchup with Detroit comes with a reshuffled look on both sides, and that puts even more pressure on the Hornets supporting cast to hold up. The preview points to a game shaped by absences and by the players who will have to absorb those minutes, with the focus landing on Dennis Schrder, Brandon Miller and Cade Cunningham as the main names likely to define the pace and tone of the night.
For Charlotte, the challenge is less about matching Detroits talent than surviving the matchup without several familiar pieces and finding enough reliable offense and defense from the next group up. One of the more interesting questions is how the Hornets sort out their wing rotation and whether a new face can settle into a bigger role quickly enough to help against a Pistons team that is already making opponents work for every clean look. [Read more 🡒]