One Thing the Charlotte Hornets Can Learn From Each Conference Finalist

What has stood out from Cleveland, New York, OKC, and San Antonio?

Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Getting blown out by the Orlando Magic in the Play-In hurt, especially considering the Charlotte Hornets' recent history with Play-In games. But enough time has passed since then to now look ahead at what could be done better to reach the playoffs in 2027.

Improving, in part, requires looking within and identifying one's own weaknesses. The Hornets already did that somewhat during their end-of-season interviews, when they proclaimed in unison that they would add muscle and physicality to their game over the course of the offseason.

But to improve, it's also crucial to analyze what the best of the best in your field are currently excelling at. What better opportunity to do so than looking at why the four teams that reached the conference finals were so successful.

The Cleveland Cavaliers: Talent will get you far, but not all the way

On the trading block? Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen are a big part of the Cavaliers' core, but another disappointing playoff exit complicates things. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

What to make of this season for the Cleveland Cavaliers? They looked very good in the regular season after acquiring James Harden and did manage to make it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.

On the flip side, they ended up getting swept by the Knicks, including two embarrassing thrashings at home. Their first and second-round victories were also far from convincing, as both the Raptors and Pistons took the Cavs to seven games.

This is what it came down to: Cleveland had a good team, and in principle, enough scoring power to compete with anybody. But they severely lacked depth and lineup versatility against a red-hot Knicks squad, while also not getting enough out of Mitchell and Harden.

The backcourt duo combined to shoot 43.5% from the field, 31.4% from three, and contributed just 1.2 assists per turnover, still being defensive liabilities at the same time. Their inability to will the Cavs past Toronto or Detroit in fewer games cost them valuable rest days, resulting in more and more erratic performances as the postseason progressed.

It also didn't help that Cleveland's bench was 1) very undersized and unfit to deal with the likes of Pistons backup Paul Reed or Raptors backup Collin Murray-Boyles, and 2) void of strong guard play, as Dennis Schröder and Keon Ellis failed to make a positive impact.

The New York Knicks: Smart Front Office Moves

The Knicks Big Three: Towns, Anunoby, and Brunson have hit their stride at the right time. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

There was a point in time not that long ago when Knicks head coach Mike Brown was on the hot seat. The Atlanta Hawks had grabbed a 2-1 lead over New York in the first round of the playoffs, and the Knicks faithful were already firing up the trade machine for Karl-Anthony Towns.

Fast forward to today, and the Knicks haven't lost a game since, winning three straight over Atlanta before sweeping Philadelphia and Cleveland on their way to an NBA Finals berth.

Only two of the regular rotation players Mike Brown likes to use have spent their full NBA career with the Knicks, those being Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson.

The guys that get their faces put on posters and play heavy minutes have mostly come in through trades (Towns, Bridges, Anunoby, Hart) or, in Jalen Brunson's case, through free agency.

Even major bench pieces, namely José Alvarado, Jordan Clarkson, and Landry Shamet, came in via a non-draft transaction.

While the Mikal Bridges trade has rightfully caught some slack for being an overpay, most of the Knicks' moves look good and coherent in hindsight.

The San Antonio Spurs: An underrated wing room (and a bit of lottery luck)

Almost, but not quite. The Charlotte Hornets jumped to second in the 2023 draft, but San Antonio was even luckier. | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Having an undisputed top ten player in the NBA is fantastic, especially if he's only 22 years old and combines incredible size with athleticism and shooting touch.

But that's not all it takes to win. Great players give you a chance, but those around them matter almost as much.

Just ask Giannis Antetokounmpo post-2021, Damian Lillard throughout his first Blazers stint, or Kevin Garnett when he was still with the Minnesota Timberwolves if they thought they had a great supporting cast.

San Antonio is not a super team, but they have already amassed the kind of players you want next to your star in Justin Champagnie, Devin Vassell, and Stephon Castle.

What do they have in common? They are passable to good defenders, reliable shotmakers who profit from Wemby's gravity, and commit few turnovers (at least in Vassell and Champagnie's case).

And that's without even mentioning sixth man of the year Keldon Johnson, veteran guard De'Aaron Fox, or the promising rookies Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant.

Never was the quality of the Spurs' playoff rotation more obvious than in game seven of their Western Conference Finals bout versus Oklahoma City, when every single player came up big in one way or another.

(It also didn't hurt the Spurs roster building efforts that they picked in the top four three consecutive times, bringin in Wembanyama, Harper, and Castle)

The Oklahoma City Thunder: The best player in the world and a shared mindset

Arguably the best player/coach duo in the NBA right now: Mark Daigneault and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander already have one ring in their collection and have dominated the past few regular seasons. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Like him or not, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the best player in the world, at least for now. He is incredibly efficient from everywhere on the floor, suppresses turnovers like few others can, rarely misses time due to injury, and he's a respectable defender as the cherry on top.

It's also true that he struggled against the Spurs' defense, which constantly changed its scheme against him and noticeably impacted his rhythm. But the fact that the Western Conference Finals even went the full distance should be a good sign for OKC.

With Ajay Mitchell and Jalen Williams sidelined for most of the time and an at times despondent Chet Holmgren, the Thunder were still able to rally around SGA and the team's defensive skillset to make the most of an unfortunate situation.

What exactly applies to the Hornets?

Some of the stuff we've gone over in this article is already happening in Charlotte. Under the still relatively new front office, the trades have all made sense and been process-oriented.

Also, similarly to OKC, the togetherness of the current roster is palpable. No matter whether they won or lost, the players stuck together throughout the last season and never seemed to let their heads hang down.

On the other hand, the difference in individual talent between the Conference Final teams and the Hornets stands out. You could argue the Cleveland Cavaliers are not incredibly far off, but the Knicks, Spurs, and Thunder all have vastly better rosters top to bottom.

Some of this gap can be closed just through the development of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Moussa Diabaté, Sion James, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and the incoming rookies.

That development should hopefully include some defensive strides for Ball, Miller, and Knueppel.

It would also help to surround them with at least one Champagnie-esque player in every lineup. Someone who can defend and is reliable on the offensive end. That player might be a few free agencies away or right around the corner in this upcoming draft.

Either way, the Charlotte Hornets are not that far away. We've seen teams go from the lottery to a finals berth within years (e.g., Thunder, Spurs).

The raw talent to go a similar path exists within the organisation. Now it'll take some conscious roster building to make it happen; the role models to learn from exist.

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