Dec 5, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15) laughs while being guarded by Dallas Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith (10) during the first quarter at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

With an impressive variety of passing and low turnover numbers, the Charlotte Hornets may be better than they’ve been for a long time.

When Steve Clifford first inherited the role of head coach for the then Charlotte Bobcats back in 2013, his top priority needed to be steadying the ship.

Clifford became the fourth coach in as many seasons for the franchise, coming in off the back of only 28 combined wins in the previous two Charlotte campaigns.

With limited talent at his disposal, Clifford preached fundamentals and, with a slightly pragmatic approach, shaped the team into one of the league’s better defensive groups.

As the sixth-best defense in the NBA, Charlotte made a surprise return to the playoffs in 2014 and the table seemed set for further success from then on in.

As of yet, that hasn’t fully transpired, but having rolled with the ups and downs of the last two years and then retained a sense of continuity by re-signing the likes of Nicolas Batum and Marvin Williams, the Charlotte Hornets are starting to flourish.

The defense that was a staple of Clifford’s first year in Charlotte is still a significant factor in how the Hornets play. Through their first 22 games of the season, the Hornets are the NBA’s fifth-best defense, but they no longer have to rest their hat on that end of the floor alone.

A combination of internal development and a gradual retooling of the roster has left the Hornets at a point where they at least now have a coherent offensive style.

No longer constructed around a dominant, skilled low-post center as they were with Al Jefferson, the Hornets have diversified their offensive approach.

Although Clifford and his team won’t hesitate to go inside, they now rank 20th in terms of the percentage of their scoring that can be termed as points in the paint.

Instead, with more than 27 percent of their points coming from deep (a top-10 mark in the league), the Hornets have placed a much greater emphasis on the three-pointer.

The Hornets are currently looking like little more than an average team when it comes to making their shots from distance (16th in the NBA at 34.6 percent), but they’ve been having little difficulty in creating three-point attempts (ninth in the NBA at 27.9 per game).

The reason for that, and the key to the Hornets’ more balanced offensive approach overall, has been an efficient passing game.

At what’s still a relatively early juncture of the season, the Hornets hold something akin to a golden ticket, as they’ve not only been one of the league’s best passing teams, but have also excelled at taking care of the ball.

The Hornets currently find themselves ranked fifth in the league in assists with 23.7 per game, while they’re setting the bar in terms of the league low for turnovers, ranked first in the NBA with only 11.6 giveaways per game.

Unsurprisingly, that success also translates over to the Hornets’ advanced stats. More than 63 percent of Charlotte’s points are assisted (third in the NBA) and with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.04 they’re second behind only the Golden State Warriors in that category, as well.

Question marks surround the Hornets in regards to whether Kemba Walker can sustain his All-Star caliber form and if Michael Kidd-Gilchrist can stay healthy, but if Charlotte can find a way to maintain the productive passing and ball security that has set the tone for them early on, they’ll have solid footing from which to build a real playoff run.

If that combination doesn’t prove sustainable, the Hornets will be found out as a far less skilled offensive team than their numbers currently suggest. For now, it’s propelling them to success.