ESPN came out with their 2017-18 season win and standing projections on Thursday and the Charlotte Hornets should be happy with their projection––they’re expected to win 44.1 games and finish fifth in the Eastern Conference.
According to the projections, the Hornets would play the fourth-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs. Here is ESPN’s reasoning:
The Hornets are primed to return to the playoffs after a one-year absence. Despite going 36-46 a year ago, Charlotte outscored opponents by 0.2 points per game, which typically would translate to a 41-41 record.