The Charlotte Hornets have landed an eye-popping prediction for the rest of the NBA season.
The Charlotte Hornets have certainly been one of the most pleasant surprises in the NBA this season and finally appear to have reason for optimism moving forward.
Since falling to 11-23 on Jan. 2, the Hornets have gone 15-6 and won 10 of their last 11 before the All-Star break.
Charlotte now has a very good chance of making the playoffs, and let's also remember that it acquired guard Coby White from the Chicago Bulls at the trade deadline (even though a calf injury has kept White sidelined thus far).
So, what should we expect from the Hornets the rest of the way?
Well, Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes expects Charlotte to keep rolling, predicting Charles Lee's squad to finish the regular season with a 45-37 record.
"LaMelo Ball is a lock to play more games than he has in any of the past three seasons, Charlotte has four players averaging between 18.4 and 20.3 points per game and a scorching 9-0 streak from Jan. 22 to Feb. 7 has this offensively dynamic group looking more dangerous than anyone else in the Play-In tier of the standings," Hughes wrote.
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball. Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images.Hughes also made sure to mention the brilliance of rookie Kon Knueppel and feels that the White trade could further catapult the Hornets.
"The addition of Coby White at the trade deadline could push the Hornets' electrifying offense, already in the top 10, all the way up to top-five territory," Hughes added.
Charlotte is currently 26-29, so the Hornets still have a little way to go before breaking the .500 mark. But based on the way they have been playing in recent weeks, that could happen rather promptly.
Here's another caveat that will help Charlotte: it plays seven straight home games between Mar. 17 and Mar. 29, so that will represent a great chance for the Hornets to establish themselves as a playoff team late in the season.
Of course, a lot can happen between then and now. Injuries are a thing, and it's possible that Charlotte cools off a bit.
The question is, what will happen when the Hornets face some adversity? Opponents will now be taking them very seriously, so it will be interesting to see how they respond.
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