PHOTO | TROY HULL

The continued development of young players like Miles Bridges helped the Charlotte Hornets improve to 43-39 this season, a 10-win improvement over the previous campaign. Charlotte plays Atlanta Wednesday in the Eastern Conference play-in.

The Hornets are 10 wins better than a season ago, but still need two more to keep going.

Charlotte, which closed the regular season 43-39 after Sunday’s 124-108 win against Washington, the Hornets’ best season since the 2015-16 team posted 48 wins and a playoff berth, still has work to do. As the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference, they play at No. 9 Atlanta (43-39) Wednesday, with the winner going on to the loser of the Cleveland-Brooklyn play-in in another do-or-die contest.  

“I like it,” Hornets coach James Borrego said. “We have a chance to play meaningful games in the postseason and we have won in Atlanta before, and we will try to go do it again. I have no idea after that. I’ll figure it out after Wednesday night. But the opportunity to play meaningful basketball is huge for our group. Our group likes being on the road, and this is a very tough resilient team that will be ready to go Wednesday on the road.”

Although they’re stuck with the last seed in the postseason tournament for the second year in a row, Charlotte is a different team. Even with Gordon Hayward’s availability (foot) in question for the playoffs, the Hornets are more consistent and healthier than the 33-39 squad that was blown out by Indiana in last year’s play-in.

I feel like the end of the season last year, I think we lost six straight, five straight, something like that,” guard Terry Rozier said. “I think it was kind of lingering going into the play-in. This year, we’re playing possibly our best basketball, so just want to have carry over. Last year was last year. We don’t get caught up in what happened last year and stuff like that. This is a new year, this is a new team, so we’re going to have better effort.”

Guard LaMelo Ball chalked the improved results to familiarity and continued development of the core group of players.

“Honestly, I feel like just playing with each other more and more, everybody’s getting each other’s games,” he said. “People are starting to know their roles. I feel like stuff is becoming more open (with) everybody knowing their roles. That’s the big picture and we’re just going to keep getting better.”

Charlotte is improved in all the important metrics compared to this time last year. They’ve won three straight and six of their final 10 regular season games and benefited from the improvement of younger players like Ball, Miles Bridges and P.J. Washington.

“On practice days, a full out development and going in on game days and doing what they need to do and just being fully confident”, Rozier said. “And I always respect that coming from the young guys.”

Although they’re a 10th seed, the East has raised the collective bar as every team to earn a spot in the postseason is above .500. Although some might grouse that the Hornets should’ve moved up the standings, Borrego is taking the long view.

“We have won 10-plus for three straight years,” he said. “Most years we would be the seven or the eight seed –but this year the East was more competitive and really good, and it got better, and we got better. We have a chance to keep moving forward. Our season is not over. We have a chance to make the playoffs and have a meaningful game on the road and I am excited for our group.”

After last year’s play-in debacle in Indiana, the Hornets are motivated to improve on last season’s result. They certainly shouldn’t have cause to be overwhelmed by the moment in Atlanta.

“Just come in and be ready straight from the jump,” Ball said. “[It’s] definitely a different atmosphere than the normal season, so [we’ve] got to be ready and remember what the Pacers did to us last year. So, take that game real seriously.”

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