Get Ready For the Most Dangerous Play-In Team In NBA History

We've never seen an NBA play-in team quite like the 2025-26 Charlotte Hornets.

They have to win two games (including one on the road) to even get into the playoffs, but if they do, with apologies to the Detroit Pistons, an 8-over-1 upset will very much be in play.

And that's because, again, this just isn't your typical ninth-place team.

Because it took them a while to find their footing, Charlotte finished with the 16th-best winning percentage in the NBA, but an absurd midseason turnaround drove their net rating to plus-4.9, a mark that ranks eighth.

After their 16-28 start, the Hornets went 28-10. The San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics were the only teams with more wins in that second stretch. The Spurs were the only team with a better net rating.

In other words, what all of the above really says is that Charlotte simply isn't the team its record suggests. And the reasons for its second-half-of-the-season success should scare potential postseason opponents.

Thirteen of those first 28 losses were by single digits. Young teams often struggle in close games. But there aren't many that figure out how to handle those high-leverage moments by mid-January. That's typically a "just wait till next year" development. Charlotte flipped that script.

They understandably earned more credit for all the blowouts authored in the second half, but the Hornets also picked up eight single-digit wins post-turnaround. Coby White (acquired at the trade deadline) and Miles Bridges both finished the season with positive plus-minuses in the clutch.

That's just the tip of the iceberg, though.

Even with the cold start, Charlotte's season-long net rating in wins was plus-18.7. That mark didn't just lead the NBA in 2025-26. It's tied for the highest mark of all time.

These Hornets can get piping hot in a hurry (they led the league in threes per game). The dynamic between LaMelo Ball and his flanking attackers is about as close to unstoppable as anything in the NBA.

With his willingness to unload a pull-up three from seemingly anywhere, defenders have to guard against that shot from pretty much the moment he crosses half-court. That makes the rest of the floor more open for his unorthodox drives or cuts to the basket from Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges or Kon Knueppel.

And speaking of the rookie, we haven't really seen an off-ball mover and shooter who more consistently and effectively impacted games like this since Klay Thompson.

Knueppel is almost constantly in motion and has a near-preternatural sense for where the most advantageous opening is or will be. It's often behind the three-point line. There may not be another player in the league right now who's better at catching on the move, immediately squaring up and then launching a form-perfect jumper.

At 8.1 per game, Knueppel led the league in catch-and-shoot points. His 63.4 catch-and-shoot effective field-goal percentage ranked sixth among players with at least 300 attempts.

With Miller's own movement and shooting often acting as the counterbalance to Knueppel's, the middle of the floor is often wide open for Ball to play with. And in spite of some of the highlights that might make your grandpa scratch his head, Ball has made mostly good choices as the primary playmaker in 2025-26.

He finished the season with the 11th-best offensive estimated plus-minus. When he was on the floor, the Hornets scored 125.0 points per 100 possessions (a mark that ranked in the 98th percentile).

All of this is to say that, despite their need to win twice and the volatility of win-or-go-home games, the numbers overwhelmingly suggest Charlotte will beat the Miami Heat and the winner of the Philadelphia 76ers-Orlando Magic matchup.

Of course, that means a first-round matchup with Detroit. A team that went 3-0 against the Hornets and whose strength (size and physicality) is probably Charlotte's biggest weakness. Moussa Diabaté and Ryan Kalkbrenner would have to break out even further than they already have to counter the Pistons' bulk.

The Hornets would probably have to shoot the lights out in two or three games, too.

But the fact that this isn't completely out of the realm of possibility for a team that finished ninth is a testament to just how good this team is.

It has to survive two elimination games to earn the ultimate chance to prove its worth, but after a 16-28 start, the rest of the season had to be played in desperation mode.

Don't be surprised if that switch stays in the "on" position.