Hornets win over Pistons laid the blueprint for Charlotte’s long-term success

A buzzer-beating win can galvanize a franchise, and Brandon Miller’s dashing tip to seal the win Charlotte Hornets their second home win of the 2024-2025 season was exactly the kind of game that could right the rocky ship that has been the Hornets’ first two weeks of the NBA season. A raucous Spectrum Center crowd cheered the heroic Brandon Miller and his Hornets teammates off the floor, but the glimmer of cheers for plays that Charlotte’s big three of LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges and Miller and their supporting cast made all night paint the picture of how the Hornets can be successful this season.

It’s going to be difficult to find adequate words to describe LaMelo Ball’s performance early in the season. Charlotte’s lively lead kept the Hornets alive in the fourth quarter with his Mary Poppins-esque bag of tricks from behind the arc. The ball can reach his shot from anywhere on the floor, from any foot, no matter who’s in front of him, whenever he wants, and his deep shot-making skills have put him in a pantheon with NBA stars like Steph Curry and Damian Lillard. He has been so good from centre. What’s more, Wednesday night’s win was the full rendition of the LaMelo Ball experience.

It was far from his most spectacular statistical performance, but Ball was fantastic on Wednesday night in what will go down as one of the most impressive performances of his young career. The ball was in full control. He had an impact on both ends of the win, playing staunch defense in the Pistons’ turbo backcourt without making mistakes while serving as the engine for Charlotte’s offense from the jump. LaMelo’s fourth-quarter scoring opportunity will grab headlines, but he made play after play for his teammates while limiting the silly turnovers and ticky-tack errors that plagued an otherwise excellent first two weeks of the season. The LaMelo Ball who played tonight and finished with 25 points, eight assists and six rebounds is a sure shot for an All-NBA bid and the main source of power that will bring Charlotte’s super-charged offense into contention.

Tonight was Bridges’ best performance under Charles Lee. The Hornets coach spoke pregame about what he wanted to see from Miles tonight and in the future, and the veteran swingman delivered against his hometown team. “I think he has about the same mentality offensively. He’s doing a great job in his running habits and trying to get away from it, but he’s just learning. I think offensively the new spots he’s on the floor. The message I got to him is: “I want you to be decisive, I want you to be aggressive, and I want you to be confident with every catch.” Receive message.

Bridges was aggressive (check) in getting to the cup in the first half, parading to the free throw line as the most consistent source of offense for the Hornets early in tonight’s action. His 2024 returns were colored by inactivity on offense and a tendency to float around the perimeter without the ball, but Bridges was decisive (checks) in his decision-making tonight. He had a quick trigger on jump shots, but an even quicker first step when going downhill. Bridges played with confidence offensively (check), and it gave Charlotte the spark they needed to push through tonight’s offensive dry spells. His fearlessness in attacking Detroit’s stout front line of Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren set the tone for the Hornets.

That is certainly last year’s top scorer the Hornets’ third option on offense behind Ball and Miller, but we have yet to see much of his scoring potential this season. Tonight, Bridge’s entire attacking game was on full display, adding a new dimension to Charlotte’s outside-in attack, which will continue to level up as he settles into his new role as the Hornets’ third banana.

Tonight was far from Miller’s best performance as a professional hooper, but that’s what it was. A professional evening.

The second-year guard struggled to knock down jumpers (3/11 from distance), but every shot Miller made had weight. His long-distance hits came at just the right time to stifle a Pistons spurt or start a Hornets run, and even though it was a struggle to find his range, Miller’s ever-present gravity is a force unto itself. His shooting ability opened up driving lanes for his teammates, and that gas will only continue to spread once Miller switches on his jumper.

His game winner perfectly summed up the kind of big plays Miller had to make.

After a costly substitution that allowed Detroit to take the lead, many players would sulk and consider tonight’s game a lost cause. Not Molenaar. He kept his chin up (and credited his veteran teammates and coaching staff for the posture adjustment) and let instinct take over to hit the piston in an attempt to lock him out with a swimming move to clear the offensive board. grab it and put the game winner back. the glass at the buzzer. It’s the kind of play you can’t teach, and it’s the kind of play Miller can make because of his size, athleticism and IQ.

The success of the 2024-2025 Charlotte Hornets will be due to these three players. Ball, Bridges and Miller are good for high-flying highlights every night (like the four alley-oops they combined tonight), but those Top 10 plays must ultimately translate into winning basketball. Tonight that happened, and it set the blueprint for how each of the three must play for the Hornets to compete in the future. The atmosphere in the Spectrum Center was euphoric, and it reached a fever pitch on the backs of Charlotte’s big three.

And if they continue to build on the habits they showed against Detroit? Then tonight is just the beginning of something special brewing in the Queen City.

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