The Charlotte Hornets continued to demand everyone's attention with a statement 118-89 win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.
Charlotte impressed Kendrick Perkins after throttling the former NBA champion's former team at TD Garden. The ESPN analyst celebrated the streaking Hornets following their sixth straight double-digit victory on "SportsCenter."
"I love a young team that plays agenda-free basketball," Perkins said. "It goes to show you that they're bought in and that they're losing themselves in the team, and it's not about individual goals."
Perkins believes the Hornets are building an identity under head coach Charles Lee. It starts with breakout newcomer Kon Knueppel, who scored 20 points on Wednesday.
"This team has a culture now," he said. "They have a guy that I believe is going to win Rookie of the Year in Kon Knueppel, who has set the tone of how to play the game the right way. How to be a true professional. He's young but has an old soul."
Perkins feels a young Hornets roster is built for sustainable success, but they won't have to wait to put themselves on the map. He expects Charlotte, which is currently ninth in the Eastern Conference standings at 32-31, to snap a nine-year postseason drought.
"This team, they check all the boxes when you talk about what you need to build for the future," Perkins said. "They have athleticism. They have a center. They have point-guard play, and they're well-coached. They're well-disciplined.
"And they're going to make the playoffs this year. They're going to make the playoffs this year, and they're going to make a lot of noise."
The Celtics will play the Hornets two more times this season on March 29 and April 7.
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