Hornets Rookie Talks About Team's Hot Stretch Of Late

Don’t look now, but the Charlotte Hornets are surging. As of Friday morning, they are still just the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference, but that isn’t telling the whole story. 

The Hornets started the season looking like they would be, once again, one of the worst teams in the NBA. However, as the season has gone on, they’ve shown real signs of life. Right now, they are looking like they could even slip into the Eastern Conference playoffs. 

The Hornets are 7⁠–⁠3 in their last ten games and have now won five straight. These aren’t fluke wins either. In January, they’ve grabbed wins against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers, and Philadelphia 76ers. 

The new face of the Hornets, Kon Knueppel, recently spoke about the team's hot streak. 

"We're getting hot, and I think we're gonna stay hot. We just got a spirit about us right now. It starts when you're on the road and beat OKC, the best team in the league, gives you confidence... we're a good basketball team. We're starting to really believe that about ourselves and coming out and hunting every night."

In their last 15 games, the Hornets rank number one in offensive rating with a rating of 121.1. They’re also fourth in defensive rating at 108.3. They have the top net rating in the league over that stretch. 

15 games isn’t a small sample size. The Hornets have put together a legit stretch over the last month or so, and it doesn’t look like they will be slowing down anytime soon.