3 Areas the Hornets Must Fix to Make the Playoffs

How can the Charlotte Hornets improve down the stretch to make a playoff run?

There has been plenty of offense to buzz about this season for the Charlotte Hornets. All-star Lamelo Ball averages 19.9 points per game to go alongside Miles Bridges’ 19.9 points per game. The duo has led the Hornets to the top scoring team in terms of points per game. 

The team has shown the ability to score points on a night in, night out basis, and they are certainly a team not many want to see in a play-in game or in the first round of the playoffs. Where the team needs to improve to put a real scare and make a run towards a conference championship, is on the defensive side of the ball. 

Here are the three key areas that Charlotte needs to improve upon to be a legit contender.

Defensive rebound percentage 

The Hornets currently rank 29th in the NBA in defensive rebound percentage at 70.5%. The Hornets are consistently allowing second chance opportunities to their opponents, resulting in defensive letdowns. The leading defensive rebounder on this team is Miles Bridges who is only 6'7". This team failed to address this issue at the trade deadline. Montrezl Harrell does bring 6.8 rebounds per game, but averages less defensive rebounds per game than Lamelo Ball. The Hornets must work on their defensive rebound efficiency to win games down the stretch.

Opponent second chance points 

The Charlotte Hornets currently rank dead last in opponent second chance points at 15.1 per game. This is absolutely a correlation with their inability to grab defensive rebounds at a high rate. Getting exposed on the glass has proven costly for this team in the win column. A bump in rebounds, or at least better defense after allowing an offensive board would give this team a massive boost. I believe Harrell can be a breath of fresh air as a physical defensive option in the paint.

Transition defense 

The Hornets are currently 25th in the NBA in allowing 13.7 fast break points per game. The Hornets surprisingly rank top 10 in the league in turnovers per game. However, when the team does turn the ball over, it proves costly. 

Overall, this team needs to be much better defensively. Playoff basketball is not something that Queen City is used to. A young team can earn valuable playoff reps early in their career if they get better defensively. If the Hornets can improve in the previously mentioned areas, I believe they can not only make a playoff run, but give some top teams more than they bargained for.