NBA Power Rankings: Are the Detroit Pistons for real?

The Hornets had a rough week in the record column, dropping two-point games to both the Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers. However, they came back and pounded the Bulls in between those two games. Other than a blowout loss to the Raptors, they’ve been in every single game and their other loss in the season’s first week was to the Bucks by a single point. Put that all together and you have a somewhat confusing picture.

Yes, they lost to the Bulls. But their other three losses were against the Bucks, Raptors and 76ers, three of the East’s best teams. Their overall point differential is a robust +5.3 points per 100 possessions, and +8.1 in this difficult 1-2 week. As of right now, they have a top-six offense and, by Basketball-Reference’s Pythagorean Win Estimate have the point differential of a team we would expect to have gone 5-2 in these seven games. The Hornets might actually be a middling Eastern Conference team. Or they just might be a team who surges up the rankings once luck starts breaking their way.