Rick Carlisle Points to Something Scary About Hornets’ Continued Rise

The Pacers' head coach gives strong praise to Charles Lee and the Charlotte Hornets.

Mar 25, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle stands on the sideline during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

You have to wonder if Charlotte Hornets fans are pinching themselves during this incredible in-season turnaround, just to be sure it’s not a dream.

To go from 14-26 to 42-36 is something you just don't see very often and should be considered one of the best turnarounds in the history of the NBA. Finding the right starting lineup combination, having good luck on the injury front (so far), and strong bench play have led to the Hornets becoming a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference.

Prior to Friday night's game against the Indiana Pacers, head coach Rick Carlisle was asked how impressed he is with how far Charlotte has come since the start of the season.

“I don’t know what their record is since say December 15th or something like that, but it’s probably as good as anybody in the league. When we played them last time in Indiana, I think they had won nine road games in a row, which is probably a franchise record. Charles (Lee) is doing a great job with them. They’re dynamic, highly skilled. They have toughness. Their defense has improved. They are a team on the come for sure, and they’re right in that mix. There’s that group of teams that’s fighting for the Play-In and the fifth and sixth spots. With five or six games to go, it still feels like they’re getting better.”

The Future Hall of Fame coach would be correct in his assessment. As a matter of fact, only four teams have more wins than Charlotte since December 15th. Why did he pick that date? Not exactly sure, other than that, around the time the Hornets began to play better basketball. On the 18th, they were still starting Ryan Kalkbrenner over Moussa Diabaté.

But we're going to use that date anyway. Here are the top 10 teams in the NBA since December 15.

San Antonio Spurs 41-11
Oklahoma City Thunder 37-14
Boston Celtics 37-15
Detroit Pistons 36-16
Cleveland Cavaliers 33-17
Charlotte Hornets 34-18
Los Angeles Clippers 33-19
Los Angeles Lakers 32-20
New York Knicks 32-21
Atlanta Hawks 30-21

The Hornets are not going to be your typical Play-In team if that is indeed where they land in the standings at the end of the year. They are more than capable of not only winning a first-round series but making a deep run in the playoffs, especially if their best basketball is still to come, as Carlisle believes could be the case.

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