The Charlotte Hornets haven’t done much of anything since the NBA named them as the league’s newest expansion team in 2004.
Even accounting for the 14 seasons of pre-2004 Hornets history that they were allowed to integrate after the New Orleans Pelicans’ rebranding, and they’ve never even reached the Eastern Conference Finals. This puts them among the league’s unlucky 10; a group that has yet to win a single NBA championship. Even worse, Charlotte has only had one winning record in the past nine seasons.
All of this leads to the Hornets heading into the 2025-26 season with three burning questions.
3 Burning Questions For Hornets Heading Into 2025-26 Season
Will LaMelo Ball Take The Next Step?
For years, Hornets face of the franchise LaMelo Ball has demonstrated tantalizing potential. At 6-foot-7, he’s a natural facilitator with a nifty handle and out of the gym shooting range. His street-ball style often electrifies fans and leads to highlight plays, both of which are good for his overall standing in the league. There’s always going to be room for a crowd-pleaser who can put up All-Star numbers.
Yet, Ball isn’t sharp enough to be the different-maker he could be. His shot-selection, not his shooting touch, is why he has a sub-.430 career field goal percentage and more seasons shooting below 36 percent from 3 than above. His physical tools allow him to hound players at the defensive end but he doesn’t have the will to.
Up to this point, his immaturity has been excused by his age. Nonetheless, Ball is approaching his sixth NBA season. Now that he’s achieved veteran status, it’s time for him to really start playing like one.
If he does, he’ll likely earn his first All-Star selection since his first All-Star selection (2021-22). From a team standpoint, the Hornets will likely win more. To that point, he didn’t earn a -3.3 career-plus minus because he isn’t productive, but because he doesn’t do enough that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.
Year 3 Brandon Miller
Nearly as important as Ball’s development is that of 2023 No. 2 pick Brandon Miller.
A skilled and versatile combo forward at 6-foot-9, Miller was averaging career-highs of 21.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks per game in 2024-25. He did shoot just 40.3 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from 3 after shooting 44.0 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from 3 as a rookie. However, it’s possible that his efficiency was impacted by his season-ending wrist injury.
All of that being said, Miller obviously needs to get back to making shots consistently for Hornets to reach their ceiling. Long a point of discussion, it would also behoove him to get to the line more. Indeed, with Charlotte adding Collin Sexton and Kon Knueppel to the roster in particular, Miller’s scoring averages might naturally decrease. Getting to the charity stripe would help him raise those numbers.
Can They Make The Playoffs?
As previously mentioned, the Hornets have addressed their rather anemic offense by trading for Sexton and drafting Knueppel. Charlotte also added Liam McNeeley, who was a top-10 high school recruit in the 2024 ESPN 100, via the 2025 NBA Draft.
That being said, Sexton is an aggressive combo guard with a career scoring average of 18.8 points per game. He also sounds like he has the fast track on a starting spot, taking the initiative to ingratiate himself with his new teammates and work on his chemistry with Ball immediately after being traded.
In fact, his intangibles may prove to be as important than his ability to get the ball through the net. His leadership and unbridled passion should both contribute to the Hornets developing a winning culture. For a team that’s too used to losing, Sexton’s outright refusal to lose is a breath of fresh air.
None of this guarantees that Charlotte will clinch a postseason berth in 2025-26. Nonetheless, they’ve fortified their existing core. Furthermore, a number of Eastern Conference stars on contending teams tore their Achilles late in 2024-25. Ultimately, this provides them with a perfect storm.
If they can gel quickly enough and stay healthy, their nine-year playoff drought could soon come to an end.
© Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
The post 3 Burning Questions For Hornets Heading Into 2025-26 Season appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.