The Hornets Are the Hottest Team in the NBA

All right, let's talk about the Hornets.

My Charlotte Hornets, let's talk about them.

The Buzz have won 6 games in a row, Evan, on a back to back, they go to Boston and curb stomp the Celtics.

Like that was a beating from start to finish.

Since January 22nd.

They are 16-3.

They have the number one offense in the NBA during that stretch.

They have the number one net rating in the NBA during that stretch.

They have the number 7 defense in the NBA during that stretch.

They have beaten Oklahoma City.

They have beaten Houston.

They have beaten Boston.

So it's not just the bad teams that they're feasting on.

They're beating some good teams as well.

Like I said, they go to Boston after the second night of a.

Back to back and just put a whipping on the Celtics.

Con Knipple, I think he's gonna be Rookie of the Year.

Brandon Miller is a bucket.

LaMelo Ball, they've stuck by him.

A lot of people say get rid of him, move off him, but they've stuck by him, and he is rewarding them for all that.

Uh, the Hornets are going to get into the play-in.

They might even sneak into one of those top 6 spots in the playoffs.

How real are the Charlotte Hornets right now?

And, I think they're pretty real considering teams they actually beat, you know what I'm saying?

And last night going into Boston, like going into Boston, Boston's not taking a night off and they're going to be scrappy, and they beat them handily.

And I think one thing that they have or 3 things that they have.

They got Ky Kaipo who's One of the most efficient scorers in the NBA obviously and going OD so we, I think we're all trying to hold our tongue.

Of labeling him too much, but he, he's elite.

Brandon Miller, when, whenever he drops 20, I feel like they're like a 60% win wing clip, and I believe now, since he's been scoring and been able to get his pull-up going, their offense has been even more efficient.

And the big man, uh, what's his name, uh, Muute Dia.

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, sorry, I'm blanking his name too, but I know what you're talking about.

Yeah, no, my fault, big dog.

I, I'm, I'm, I'm dyslexic, so I, I want them, them names fucking me up.

I was about to call you Diawara, my fault, but , but I think those three have been playing at a high, high level when you look at those, uh.

Their intangibles together and how they play, and, and I feel like in the past like two months, they got the best starting five.

Their offensive rating over any starting five is like supremely elite, and I think it's just how uh How efficient their main two scores have been and then, you know, anytime LaMelo's giving you something efficient, he's gonna score, but when he's giving you something efficient, your offense is that much more potent and dangerous.

And I always want to give credit to Miles Bridges for how he's been playing this whole year.

I feel like he's accepted like the role-player role but in a more impactful way and he sacrificed a lot and I think his presence, even just in the Detroit Pistons fight has set up.

A lot and, and I, I think it's going from being like just a regular cool young basketball team to this starting to become a culture and it's riding the right type of hills which is Kha can nipple in my personal opinion and Charles Lee obviously, yeah, uh, Musa Diabate is who yeah, Mussa Diabate, you are really the man, bro.

You are really the man, bro.

You're doing your thing.

God bless you.

How many years have we looked at the Hornets, and this goes back to your playing days, I'm sure.

When we've looked at them, well, we've looked at them as like not a serious franchise, even though they were owned by for a long time, the most serious basketball player ever.

It was hard to look at them as a serious franchise.

As recently as 4 years ago, like the last time they were above 500 was 4 years ago, um, one of the early years of LaMelo Ball.

And even then you didn't look at them as like a team with direction.

Like they had Gordon Hayward on that team who was 31.

They had Terry Rozier on that team who was in his mid-20s.

Like they were, they were a team that had a couple of years before, yeah, they, they had, they were a team that had a pretty low ceiling, and it's like, all right, that was a team like we can get to the playoffs maybe, and then that's about it.

This team not only has a high ceiling in the short term, they've got a high ceiling in the long term.

Like if you're a general manager.

Like how many trios do you like better, young trios I'm talking about, like under 25 or whoever old LaMelo is.

Um, how many trios do you like better than LaMelo, Brandon Miller, and Knipple?

Like Knipel is already way more complete than I thought he was.

We knew he could shoot the 3, but he's going to the rim, he's attacking the basket.

He's more athletic.

He's smart, as you're pointing to your, your head there.

You're right.

Um, he's got a whole bunch of tools.

You give him an offseason.

To add on to that body, which still looks like a college frame, it looks like he's still eating takeout at, you know, Wendy's.

Like you put, you give him an offseason to work with strength coaches, he's gonna come back so much better.

Brandon Miller going into year 4 next year, he's gonna be better.

Already.

Like, I like his improvements from 3-point range.

Um, he's around 38%, I think this year.

He's still a low percentage overall shooter, but you look at him, he's got the frame.

He's got the, the shot.

Like he, he looks like a guy that could eventually average 25% on a good percentage.

Like that's the kind of guy you need.

And LaMelo, I talked to Charles Lee on Wednesday night for a while about LaMelo.

And we were talking about kind of what he's been trying to mold with him.

And one of the things he was saying about LaMelo this year is that LaMelo is not as focused on statistics as he's been in years past.

You can see it.

He's averaging like 5 points per game less than he did, you know, over the games last season.

His 3-point percentage is up.

That's cause he's getting a lot more catch and shoot opportunities because he's allowing guys like Knippel, guys like Miller to, to, uh, uh, begin the offense, you know, get started going.

And his turnover numbers are down, which is huge.

Like he's still prone to some weird shot attempts, off-balance shot attempts, but they're just not as many as they've been in years past.

And defensively, they're getting a commitment from him.

Like he's never gonna be a great defender, I don't think, but he's got good size, good athleticism.

He's maximizing or getting close to maximizing his defensive potential.

So, Uh, look, I like what this team's doing now.

I wouldn't want to play them in the first round because that offense is dynamic.

I think they're a tough matchup for the Celtics.

Like they're, the way they play is that with all their wings.

That's a tough matchup for Boston .

But more than anything, ET, long term, I love what this team is, is building here.

You've got these guys under manageable contracts right now.

Knipple, of course, is a rookie.

Like they can build something in Charlotte.

Like they've got something going for the first time in I don't know how long.

Yeah, and they got the Ray tape of coaching too.

Charles Lee has been under a lot of great coaches and he's coaching a lot of big, uh, games.

And obviously going to Boston last night, Missoula, being able to coach against Missoula, that was , you know, tit for tat in that situation.

I think one thing that, uh, when it comes down to Melo, that you have to give him credit for that he's developing.

I think he's benefiting the most from a serious organization as well.

We brought that up as well.

Like I've been in situations where You've been around a rookie, the organization knows they're going to struggle, and they're like, hey, we're just trying to build up some, some momentum.

So let the little new rookie do absolutely whatever he wants.

And I think this is the first real time , no disrespect to other coaches.

Where there's been somebody trying to coach him, but like an organization that's holding him accountable.

And he's fully reaping the benefits from that.

And I think, uh, you know, even though people want to move on from him, I think on every team you need a LaMelo.

And I'm not even so much saying like the scoring, but like just the, the confidence, and energy, like, you know what I'm saying?

Like I think that Formulates into a rock star type of organization.

Whether you think so or not, you need those NBAers over, you know, as well as those serious individuals like Ky and Nipple.

But I love their game, I love their future, but like I said, when you, when you have a, a coach like Charles Lee and you have your young individual like Ky and Nipple that's not only IQ wise but he's mature, his mentality is at a high, high level.

So you go from You know, the, the, the core looking like a Lamelo lead core to a kind can nipple more serious crossover button up like culture.

So I think it's gonna be huge and, and I wouldn't want to see them.

In the first round, because no matter what, basketball is a game of runs, and you get some young guys in the confidence, you look at the Hawks from back in the day, they rolled that little confident moment into, you know what I mean, a Game 7 series, Eastern Conference Finals, and then, you know, kind of stayed afloat from there where when I left there, I was just like I don't know how long it'll take for them to get going.

So, you know, you don't wanna get any puppies excited and you don't wanna, you know, get a good coach figuring out stuff and figuring out schemes.

It's the right point about The professionalism of the organization, which is Charles Lee, but it's also Jeff Peterson in that front office, the ownership that they've got there now.

They, they've got more structure than they've ever had before.

Before, they've had some good players and they had some bad luck.

Kemba Walker, his injury issues certainly derailed what they were trying to build a while ago, but they have a foundation now.

And that's not something you can say for Any version of Charlotte this century, maybe any version of Charlotte like ever.

I guess you have to go back to the Alonzo Mourning Grandmama days, you know, Larry Johnson like to find maybe some structure like this is, this is good.

You should be excited if you're a Charlotte fan.

Like this team is not only fun to watch, not only are they good, but they're building something down there.

They're building something real.

You guys, young coach, young organization, like that's a team you can get, uh, behind and get excited about.