The Hornets Proved Three Things in Loss to Pistons That Forecast a Bright Future

A lot went down on Monday night inside Spectrum Center. From the red-hot shooting start to Detroit's suffocating defense taking over, to a huge brawl in the third quarter, and to the Hornets erasing a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter to give themselves a chance to win the game in the final minutes.

The nine-game winning streak may have come to an end, but now we're about to witness the next part of this team's evolution. How do they respond to adversity? They'll likely be without Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate, who are awaiting suspensions from the NBA, and are still without the recently acquired Coby White. Also, how do they bounce back after going through a run where they had so much success? We'll see.

We did learn a lot about this group last night, though.

Signs of growth

Aside from Miles Bridges' decision to get involved in the scuffle, there were plenty of instances where you could see this group maturing. They didn't let Detroit's physicality frustrate them to the point where they were taking bad or rushed shots, and they didn't hang their head the moment Detroit went up double digits following the brawl. How many times over the years have we seen them get crushed down the stretch because their confidence took a hit? Way too often. Right now, this is a group that is playing like it truly believes it can beat anyone and overcome a large deficit, if needed.

This group can do some damage

Don't get me wrong, the Hornets have a little way to go before they can be taken seriously as a contender in the Eastern Conference. They're not quite ready for that, and that's okay. What they are, however, is a group that can legitimately beat any team on any given night, which is going to make them one of the most-feared teams in the postseason. They're going to be a tough out because they just simply don't go away and play an efficient brand of basketball on both ends of the floor.

There is a strong culture is developing

For whatever reason, there's a segment of the fan base that seems to have it out for Charles Lee and finds a way to blame anything that goes wrong on him. Even during the nine-game winning streak, that cluster of folks didn't want to give Lee any credit, and I'm not sure why. He has done wonders with this bunch defensively and has played a critical role in their overall development. The players are locked into his messaging and are even echoing some of the same things he is saying in postgame pressers. Teams that have full buy-in don't go through a random nine-game winning streak and take the top team in the East down to the wire.

- MORE STORIES FROM CHARLOTTE HORNETS ON SI -

What Miles Bridges Said After the Fight and Why it Matters for the Hornets

Jaylen Brown Defends Moussa Diabaté After Hornets' Clash with Pistons

Takeaways From a Tense, Playoff-Like Contest Between the Charlotte Hornets and the Detroit Pistons

Hornets' 9-Game Winning Streak Snapped in Physical Bout Against Pistons