For the Charlotte Hornets, the road to the 2026-27 postseason runs through a handful of very specific swing factors, and the biggest one is easy to spot: someone has to create offense when the ball is not just being handed to them.
That is a much steeper ask now that LaMelo Ball is out the door. Charlotte is going to need improved shot creation across the roster, and that starts with Kon Knueppel.
He can no longer survive as only a catch-and-shoot option. He flashed the ability to make something happen off the dribble, but he was not asked to lean on that skill much last season.
Brandon Miller is the other name at the center of everything. He already has a better handle, and his length gives him a chance to carve out just enough room for clean looks, but those moments have still been too rare this early in his career. If he expands his offensive game, the whole shape of the Hornets changes.
Charlotte can lean on Coby White to help move the ball, but the elite passing it used to get from the point guard spot is gone. That makes the margin for error thinner, especially with the team’s backup point guard spot still looking like an Achilles heel. Christian Anderson Jr. could solve that quickly if he proves NBA-ready right away, which would patch the one glaring hole and help push the Hornets over the hump.
There is also a very clear burden on Miller. Charlotte is basically putting all of its chips on him, and if he does not take that step - even a modest one - then the rest probably does not matter. He needs to be the kind of player who is close to the border of All-NBA impact, the way LaMelo Ball was.
The good news for Charlotte is that the roster has been reshaped so the frontcourt should be the strength. There is flexibility, versatility, and depth at the four and five, and if that group becomes the kind of unit that can hold things together night after night, the Hornets can get into the playoffs. If it does not, they are headed right back to the lottery.
Health will matter too, especially for the starting guard group. Charlotte does not have much room to absorb injuries, and losing a player like Coby White for a long stretch would do real damage to its postseason hopes.
The best-case version of this team has Miller making a leap as a primary creator and two-way player and earning his first All-Star selection. It also has Knueppel becoming an All-Star-caliber scorer who keeps sharpening his handle and raises his defensive value. On top of that, Christian Anderson and Hannes Steinbach would need to give the Hornets immediate, steady rotation minutes all season.
If Charlotte is going to get there, the offense has to be more balanced too. The Hornets would need to stay among the league’s top five teams in three-point shooting while also improving their two-point scoring and getting more attempts at the rim. And defensively, Head Coach Charles Lee would need another Hornets group that lands somewhere around 10th to 12th in the NBA.
If all of that comes together, Charlotte should be in the playoff conversation.
In Other News...
Hornets Still Have One Guard Problem That Could Hurt This Season
Charlottes roster for the 2026-27 season is largely coming into focus, with the front office expected to tidy up the final spots by trimming contracts. Even so, one issue keeps hanging over the group: the Hornets still need to sort out how the offense will function beyond their starting point guard, especially after moving on from LaMelo Ball and reshaping the backcourt around a different kind of creator.
Coby White gives the team a capable offensive initiator to lean on, but the question becomes sharper when he leaves the floor. The backup choices in the mix, including rookie Christian Anderson, Tre Mann, Sion James and possibly Grayson Allen, bring useful traits, yet none looks like a clean answer as a lead ball-handler if Charlotte wants to keep its attack organized and steady throughout an entire game. [Read more 🡒]