Data from the NBA stats page within the first few weeks of the season can be wonky; small sample sizes conflate numbers that pass the “eye test” with those that are bound to regress as the season wears on. In the case of the Charlotte Hornets, the team’s three best players have yet to play a single minute together on the court, blurring that line even further.
As most teams in the league surpass the 10-game mark and have played between 10 and 15 percent of the 82 games in a season, those sample sizes grow to the point where fans can start to glean from them and at least vaguely project areas in which a team may or may not excel.