What if This Version of the Charlotte Hornets Had Been Here All Along?

The Charlotte Hornets are surging right now, but that obviously wasn't always the case. They've been so hot, however, that they now have the fourth-best point differential in the Eastern Conference. They're still stuck as the nine seed, though.

It took them some time to find the right footing, but they have absolutely found it. They tinkered with the starting lineup and dealt with some injuries, which is why the record when their current starting five starts is great, but it doesn't reflect even most of a season.

At first, Ryan Kalkbrenner was the starting center over Moussa Diabaté. Then, Brandon Miller got hurt. So did LaMelo Ball. Eventually, this team found the right combo and got healthy, and they became incredibly dangerous.

Where would they be if they'd been healthy or had this configuration locked down from the beginning?

Exploring Hornets record if health, lineup had been ideal from onset

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) keeps the ball away from Memphis Grizzlies forward Tyler Burton | Brian Westerholt-Imagn Images

January 1 isn't the true cutoff for when this team began to play really well, as they were playing good basketball in December. It wasn't translating to wins, though, and early January is when Moussa Diabaté started starting over Ryan Kalkbrenner.

Since January 1, they've gone 27-12. That's been with both Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball not missing a game. It's also with Coby White coming over and joining in late February. Diabaté and Miles Bridges also missed four games due to suspensions.

More or less, though, this is the team that would've been going strong since the beginning. A young team took some time to work out the kinks, and injury-prone players had some injuries. None of that's surprising, but it is disappointing because it robbed us of a truly excellent season.

The Hornets' schedule early on was easier than it has been since their surge. They've had to play the San Antonio Spurs twice, and plenty of the Eastern Conference foes they're battling with in the standings now are also heating up, ironically.

So it's fair to think the Hornets would've been slightly better before January 1. 27-12 translates to a 69.2% win percentage. That's slightly better than the 47-24 Boston Celtics, so it's reasonable to project a similar record.

These Hornets would probably not have been good enough to pass the Detroit Pistons, who have an impressive 73.2% win percentage. They've been incredible, but the Hornets likely wouldn't be too far behind.

Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) handles the ball against the Sacramento Kings during the second half | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Either way, even conservatively speaking, they would probably be a top-three seed in the East rather than fighting just to claw out of the Play-In Tournament.

Unfortunately, we can't go back and tell Charles Lee to start Diabaté or heal Ball and Miller, so this is all moot. What it does mean, though, is that the Hornets are pretty good and will have, just like in this hypothetical scenario, a good chance at delivering a playoff series win depending on the matchup.

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