1 reason the Raptors are better than these 3 play-in contenders

1. Charlotte Hornets: Defense

There are some really interesting young players on the Hornets roster. They are 16-17 in the East momentarily ranked sixth. It is an interesting result considering the Hornets give up the most points in the NBA at 117.1.

The Hornets will have to pick up the defensive intensity as the season wears on if they expect to stay in the sixth spot or move up. Like the Raptors, the Hornets struggle with defensive rebounding, averaging 32.6 per game which is third-worst in the NBA.

As a result, the Hornets are 3-7 in their last 10 games and have given up 374 points in their last three losses.

The Toronto Raptors could score easily against the Hornets.

According to head coach James Borrego:

"“We’re trying to become a more consistent team in our effort, our execution.”"

The search for consistency has yet to materialize, as the Hornets are a below .500 team 3r games into the season. Making matters worse is that none of the top offensive stars on the team are their best defensive players. LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward, and Miles Bridges are substandard on that end.

If Borrego’s goals of a consistent defense are to come true, those top players will need to play better in the Hornets’ defensive scheme to get everyone invested in the team goal.

Toronto is not very far behind either of the Celtics or the Hornets. The Raptors are momentarily better than the Knicks in the East standings. Each of these teams has plenty of time to improve. Once Toronto gets healthy, they need to produce.