Are the Charlotte Hornets Emerging as a Playoff Contender?
Are the Charlotte Hornets a playoff team this year? After last season, even asking that question felt unrealistic. Charlotte was one of the league’s worst teams in 2024-25, finishing 19-63 in head coach Charles Lee’s first season, its worst record since the Bobcats went 7-59 in 2011-12. Fans had little reason for optimism, and expectations were extremely low. This season, however, has shown that circumstances have changed dramatically.
Charlotte currently sits at 25-28 with 29 games remaining. The team holds the tenth spot in the Eastern Conference, which represents the final play-in position. The Hornets are riding a nine-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the NBA, while defeating legitimate playoff contenders along the way. Road victories include wins in Orlando, Memphis, Dallas, Houston, and Atlanta, complemented by home wins over Philadelphia, San Antonio, and New Orleans. Charlotte also made history during the streak by becoming the first team in NBA history to win nine consecutive games without a single player over the age of twenty-eight scoring a point.
Health has played a significant role in the Hornets’ resurgence. LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Miles Bridges have consistently shared the floor, elevating the team with their combined scoring and playmaking. Miller is averaging just over twenty points per game, Ball is contributing nearly nineteen, and Bridges is scoring more than eighteen per contest. Rookie Kon Knueppel has emerged as a revelation, averaging nearly nineteen points with six rebounds and four assists while shooting efficiently. When Charlotte’s starting lineup has been fully healthy, the team has suffered only one loss this season.
Moussa Diabaté has added physicality inside, consistently rebounding and contributing on both ends of the floor. The trade deadline acquisition of Coby White from Chicago provides additional scoring off the bench once he returns from injury. White, a North Carolina native and former University of North Carolina standout, brings experience that could prove valuable in postseason scenarios. With this supporting cast, Charlotte appears deeper, healthier, and more balanced than at any point in recent years.
The remaining schedule will test how far the Hornets can realistically climb. Upcoming home matchups include Detroit, Atlanta, Houston, and Cleveland, with Detroit currently leading the Eastern Conference. Following that stretch, Charlotte faces four winnable games against Washington, Chicago, Indiana, and Portland. Taking care of those opportunities would place the Hornets firmly in playoff contention and allow them to enter the play-in or postseason with momentum. The question now becomes, can the Hornets make the playoffs and possibly win the Southeast Division, as they sit only three games behind Orlando for the top spot, for the first time ever? Charlotte has not finished higher than second in the division since 2018-2019, and before that, it was 2001-2002.
Charlotte has remained trapped in play-in territory since the format’s introduction, unable to advance beyond it. This season presents a different picture. The Hornets possess the talent, health, and confidence to alter that narrative. Each win during the current streak has reinforced their ability to compete with elite teams across the league. If this trajectory continues, Charlotte could secure a long-awaited playoff series and achieve a milestone its fan base has not witnessed in decades. The Hornets are playing with belief and cohesion, and the opportunity in front of them feels real.
