Bad Eastern Conference Franchise Predicted to Make Play-In Tournament

The Charlotte Hornets have the longest active playoff drought in the NBA. They haven’t made the playoffs since the 2015–16 season and have only made the play-in tournament one time in that span as well. This season doesn’t seem to look much different.

As of Monday, the Hornets are the 12th seed in the East, with a record of 12–23. They’re four games out of the Play-In Tournament position and have seven more losses than the current sixth seed.

However, Sam Quinn of CBS Sports recently wrote “Five bold NBA predictions for 2026,” and he predicted that 2026 would be the year that the Hornets’ fortunes would change. 

"The Charlotte Hornets make the Play-In Tournament…if we assume Washington, Indiana, and Brooklyn are all taking the year off, Charlotte's floor in the Eastern Conference is No. 12. That means they'd have to pass two of the top 10 teams to sneak into the Play-In Tournament. Chicago is a reasonable enough prediction for one such slot. The Bulls have run hot and cold all year, starting 6–1 before losing 15 of their next 20. They followed that up with a five-game winning streak, but their defense remains atrocious, and that inconsistency makes them vulnerable. The other team we're predicting Charlotte passes? The Bucks, putting the final nail in the Antetokounmpo era's coffin."

When Quinn lays things out like that, it doesn’t seem ridiculous for the Hornets to sneak into that last Play-In spot.

Still, what makes this prediction bold is that both the Bulls and Bucks would have to fall down the standings to make it happen. The Bucks don’t seem like they are going to be trading Giannis this deadline, and the Bulls are always fighting for a play-in spot.

Still, if the young Hornets continue to improve throughout the season, this prediction is definitely possible.