CHARLOTTE (CAROLINA SPORTS LIVE) — The Hornets have a lot of young talent heading into the season. But as the saying goes, ‘the best ability is availability.’
Injuries can happen to anyone at any time, but the Hornets seemed to have been hit the hardest. Their top two scorers from last season, guard LaMelo Ball and forward Brandon Miller, played in a combined 74 games (27 for Miller and 47 for Ball). For Ball, he hasn’t played in more than 47 games in a season since 2021-22.
Ball, who signed a rookie extension worth more than $200,000 last offseason, is relied on heavily for his playmaking and scoring. Whatever this team’s aspirations are, they go as far as he can take them, and that starts with being on the floor.
It wasn’t just the starters who couldn’t stay healthy. Solid depth players Tre Mann and Grant Williams only played in 13 and 16 games, respectively.
The only major contributor to stay healthy for a majority of games was and has been forward Miles Bridges. He played in 64 games last season, the least he’s played in his six NBA seasons.
Aside from injury concerns, the Hornets have a lot of ways to piece together a consistent starting lineup. First is who will be the starting center. The centers on the roster are recently-extended Moussa Diabate, rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner, and 12-year veteran Mason Plumlee.
The easy answer would be Plumlee, who played in 74 games (21 starts) for the Suns last season, averaging 4.5 points and 6.1 rebounds. However, Diabate averaged 12.7 rebounds per 36 minutes, the 12th highest in the NBA and ahead of Plumlee and former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (12.6). Another option could be forward Grant Williams, who had spot-starts at the position for the Hornets last season when Mark Williams went down.
Another question mark in the starting lineup is small forward, or shooting guard, since the NBA has become less and less about standardized positions over the years. If Brandon Miller plays SF, Charlotte can start a guy like Tre Mann or Colin Sexton to play alongside Ball in the backcourt. If Miller stays in the two-guard spot, then they could start rookies Liam McNeeley or Kon Knueppel, second-year player Tidjane Salaun, or veteran Josh Green.
Coach Charles Lee has a young roster with a lot of potential to make a surprise run at the playoffs in a weakened Eastern Conference, somewhere they haven’t been in 10 years. And hey, let’s not forget, the Hornets are still 2025 NBA Summer League Champions.
A fun season of Buzz City basketball is in store in a newly renovated Spectrum Center.
Charlotte Hornets
Last season: 19-63.
COACH: Charles Lee (2nd season with Hornets, 19-63 overall).
SEASON OPENER: Oct. 22 vs. Brooklyn.
DEPARTURES: C Mark Williams, G Josh Okogie, C Jusuf Nurkić, G Vasa Micic. G DaQuan Jeffries.
ADDITIONS: G Collin Sexton, G Pat Connaughton, C Mason Plumlee, G Kon Knueppel.
BetMGM championship odds: 1000-1.
What to expect
The Hornets get their two best scorers, LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, back from injuries to start the season, giving them a solid scoring trio along with Miles Bridges. The problem in recent years has been keeping guys healthy, particularly Ball, who has missed 53% of Charlotte’s games over the past three seasons. Miller sat out 55 games last year. It’s uncertain who’ll start at the other two spots, but Collin Sexton and rookie Kon Knueppel are in the mix at small forward, while rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner will challenge veteran Mason Plumlee and Moussa Diabate for playing time at center.
Strengths and weaknesses
The good: Charlotte’s draft class looks to be a good one, and the team appears to be making the most of its draft picks under general manager Jeff Peterson. The team has added veteran depth with Sexton and Connaughton, which should help on and off the court. The Hornets remain excited about the progress of second-year player Tidjane Salaun and think Knueppel and Kalkbrenner can contribute right away. Ball is one of the game’s most electric players, but needs to stay healthy and not be a liability on defense.
The not-so-good: The same issue that has plagued this franchise for years continues to be a problem — the inability to find a quality center. Charlotte doesn’t have a dominant big man, nor one that can stretch the defense by stepping out and hitting a 3. The Hornets are bigger at other positions across the board this season, but center remains a clear weakness.
Players to watch
Miller appears to be on the verge of a breakout season and has All-Star potential. He is coming off wrist surgery, which caused him to miss 55 games. Prior to the injury, he was averaging 21 points per game and he can fill it up from deep.
The Associated Press contributed to this report