Why the Hornets Could Win Group C in the NBA In-Season Tournament This Year

Yesterday, the NBA released the Group schedule for this year’s In-Season Tournament. The Hornets will be in East Group C this year and open up tournament play against the Miami Heat in South Beach on November 7th. Other teams in the group consist of the New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, and the Heat. This group is intriguing because it is filled with teams that have some question marks, including Charlotte, but this could lead to an opportunity for the Hornets to emerge out of this group and win another championship in Vegas. A possibility of winning two championships in a year would do wonders for Hornets fans, players, coaches, and the entire organization. If they were to win the NBA Cup, this could mark a pivotal point in Charles Lee’s second year coaching the team and would continue the momentum that the team has been building since the summer. The Hornets are a team that is hopefully on the rise and has a real shot to win their group this season. So, let’s break down why they can do it.

First, the Hornets are putting together a stronger roster filled with depth at key positions. Last season, it was the LaMelo Ball show, with a few key contributors having stretches of dominant performances before cooling off and not finding that success anymore. Yet, this offseason, the Hornets brass went to work by trading and drafting guys who bring different qualities to the roster, but will be able to help out in different facets of the game. Collin Sexton provides defensive intensity, Spencer Dinwiddie provides leadership, and Kon Knueppel provides consistent three-point shooting. All of these players will be able to help the Hornets win games this year and take the pressure off of star players such as Ball and Brandon Miller. Yet, the same can’t be said for a few teams in Group C. The Chicago Bulls, it seems, have no idea if they want to go into rebuild mode or not. The Bulls are a team that is filled with a lot of promising young players, but they are consistently in the mix for the Play-In or not making the playoffs at all. The Miami Heat are not necessarily better than they were last year. They did acquire Norman Powell in the offseason; however, this team does not have a superstar or a go-to playmaker, a player who can give you buckets down the stretch. They are a team that is so ingrained in their culture that they seem to be stuck in their ways and do not evolve or change with the times in the NBA.

Then there are the Knicks and the Bucks, who are two favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference this season. However, they have question marks as well. In Milwaukee, what is the team’s identity beyond Giannis Antetokounmpo? The Bucks superstar has even contemplated leaving Milwaukee at one point if the organization does not turn the ship around. The Knicks have a brand new coach in Mike Brown, and players will be learning a new system. So, how cohesive will the Knicks be when they play the Hornets on November 26th? That remains to be seen.

So, the Hornets can emerge from this group as the winners and can punch their ticket to the Knockout Stage of the tournament. They have more depth and scoring this season compared to last, and they do not have as many question marks as the other teams in their group. The Bulls and the Heat are still the same teams from last season, and the Knicks and the Bucks have some question marks about their team identities heading into the season. It is all set up for Charlotte to make a memorable run in this tournament, and if they catch fire, they could be celebrating another championship in Sin City again this season.