How a Growth Mindset is Fueling the Hornets' Win Streak
The Hornets practiced on Tuesday afternoon in Charlotte.
CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte Hornets are currently riding their first seven-game winning streak in a decade. If they win against the Houston Rockets on Thursday, they’ll make it eight wins in a row for the first time since the mid-1990s.
But this streak didn’t just come out of nowhere. It hasn’t been a random streak of hot shooting or easy scheduling. Charlotte has been defeating some of the best teams in this league over the last month in part due to developing more of a growth mindset since the start of the season.
That was one of the main topics of discussion when the gathered media met with Ryan Kalkbrenner and Charles Lee following Tuesday’s practice at the Novant Health Training Center. When Kalkbrenner was asked about the team’s improvements on both sides of the ball, he noted an improvement in their mental acuity.
“Starting the year knowing that we’re young, knowing there’s going to be some growing pains, and knowing that also we have a lot of talent on this team,” Ryan said. “And if we stay with it, stay doing the right things every day, we’re going to get a lot better and good things are going to happen.
“So even though we’ve had a seven-game win streak and things are looking better, we can’t get away from that growth mindset. Take every day to get better. Days like today where we get to practice, which we don’t get very many of those. And then also not looking too far ahead.”
This is a step every young team must take at some point or another, and seeing this group already recognizing that is another reason to be optimistic about their future. It can be very easy to get caught up in success, particularly when times have been much tougher in recent seasons. Being able to take the wins in stride and realize there’s still plenty more work to be done is an excellent indicator of the Hornets’ growth.
Charles Lee also spoke to how his guys have adapted their mental approach. “I think today is a really good example of the team’s growth mindset,” Lee said. “You’re on a seven-game win streak. Number one, we try not to talk about it, but it naturally comes up.
“But the group came in today after a game, and we’re in the film room, we’ve got great conversation going, we’ve got people asking questions, we come to the court, there’s not a lull in hunger to learn or curiosity, or a sluggishness to the group. It’s like, a level of genuine growth mindset. Wanting to get better, wanting to find a way, how defensively can we add to our tool bag?
“Offensively, how can we be better versus zone the next time we see it? We’ve been playing at a pretty good offensive level, teams have thrown some zone at us. And I think that our first layer of zone offense has been good, and then the second, third layer probably hasn’t been as sharp. And so we worked on that today … I think that this group, they continue to show what they’re really about.”
What stood out most on Tuesday had nothing to do with the streak itself, but how little it seemed to define the Hornets’ mentality. There was no sense of guarding what they’ve built, and no anxiety about preserving the momentum.
Instead, it seemed there was a clear understanding that progress is something you earn again every day. For a franchise that has spent the last several years trying to find its footing, this mindset is likely going to end up mattering more than how long this particular run lasts. The wins are coming, but the process behind the W’s has been the key.