The Charlotte Hornets took down the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on Saturday night for their eighth win in their last 17 contests. This team has been getting in the win column much more consistently after a slow start to the season, and it's impossible not to notice the improvement with this group. After the contest, Miles Bridges said the quiet part out loud about the Hornets: that once they get fully healthy, they're really going to be a problem.
"I love this team, especially I love when we're healthy," Bridges said. "We got to get our bigs back, PJ [Hall] has been doing a great job. And I've been trying to fill in for Moussa, Tidjane and Ryan at the five. Once we get those guys back, we'll be up and rolling. But I love this team. I love the city of Charlotte, and I just want to continue to bring wins to this team."
If you're a more casual fan of this team and haven't been following along closely, you wouldn't really be able to notice the uptick in level of play that's occurred from the end of November to now in Charlotte. But the Hornets have been getting great contributions from all across the roster.
Young guys like Tidjane Salaun have improved tremendously, the stars are playing more efficiently, and the group as a whole is steadily building synergy. As Miles stated, they're doing it all without key players being on the court at times.
🎙️ Miles Bridges: "I love this team, especially when we're healthy. We gotta get our bigs back... once we get those guys back, we'll be up and rolling."
"I love this team, I love the city of Charlotte, and I just want to continue to bring wins to this team." pic.twitter.com/UAfSIBUcea
— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) January 4, 2026
Miles Bridges knows the Hornets will be even more dangerous soon
The Hornets are still stuck just below the play-in range in the Eastern Conference standings, but that could certainly change as this team continues to improve and as guys return to the lineup. Getting a win like Saturday's in Chicago without Ryan Kalkbrenner and Moussa Diabate says a lot about this group's resiliency, and that kind of intangible gives Charlotte a fighting chance every night.
As per usual, Miles Bridges has been one of the driving factors to the Hornets' success as of late. After going down with a sprained ankle in last week's game against Milwaukee, he missed just one game before coming back with two solid outings to begin 2026. Charles Lee had a glowing review for Bridges' performance after the win over the Bulls.
"Not only is he available, wants to play through every little nick and bruise that he has, but I think that he takes on wanting to guard the best player on the other team," Lee said. "If he's got to switch, if he's got to play center field, the open mindedness and the willingness to want to do whatever you can to impact the defensive end is pretty amazing."
In his postgame interview with Shannon Spake, Bridges reminded Hornets fans that not only is this team on the rise, but he's going to do whatever he can to keep the wins coming. As the longest-tenured member of the roster and one its most consistent performers on a nightly basis for years, Miles has become synonymous with the city of Charlotte, and no one wants to see this franchise build something truly sustainable quite like he does.