Orlando Magic Rebuild: Even surprise playoff teams can get off to slow starts
Rookie playoff teams who struggled out of the gates
LaMelo Ball’s Charlotte Hornets (2020-21)
Record: 33-39, lost in Play-In Tournament
Started: 2-5
The Charlotte Hornets were the surprise team of the 2021 season as James Borrego seemed to get all the pieces together to lead them into playoff position. LaMelo Ball was a major spark for that surprising run in the end.
Ball averaged 15.7 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game and 6.1 assists per game. he set the table perfectly for a veteran group that included Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier in addition to several promising talents.
Charlotte’s season was a wild up and down though. That is what happens when a team is seemingly built to outscore opponents. They were not playing much defense in the end.
That probably explains the wild swings. The Hornets started 2-5 then won their next four to climb above .500. then they lost six of their next seven to sit at 7-11. At least it was like a pendulum and they always swung back as far as they had fallen.
Perhaps worse, Charlotte lost its last five games before getting blown out in the Play-In Game at Indiana. The Charlotte Hornets plastered the 144-117 loss to the Indiana Pacers throughout their facility in the offseason.
That did not quite work. The Hornets were again in the Play-In Tournament last year and again got blown out.
Ball was clearly a dynamic player who changed much of the Hornets’ fortunes and made them a playoff contender. He did that immediately even if the team fell short of reaching the promised land.
Next. Orlando Magic need to find their pace and control to succeed. dark
The Orlando Magic still have a long way to go this year to reach the heights these teams met and the heights these rookies met too. But it is important to point these out because teams can still recover at this time of the year. A slow start is not a death sentence. The team just has to right the ship.