The Charlotte Hornets are about to offer the first real glimpse of their reworked roster, and head coach Charles Lee isn’t hiding how he feels about it.
With LaMelo Ball no longer around to run the offense, plenty of people are bracing for a step back. That’s understandable.
Ball was the engine for this group for years, and there isn’t a simple way to replace that kind of playmaking from the point guard spot. Coby White should help, but the way he produces is different, and that leaves real questions about how Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller and the rest will keep getting quality looks.
Lee, though, sounds convinced the Hornets have already done enough this offseason to raise the floor. On Mac and Bone on Sports Radio WFNZ, he made it clear he believes the roster is headed in the right direction.
"We were busy this offseason. I think the Hornets got better, and obviously change is gonna be tough for some people, but I think overall the mindset is how do we just keep moving this thing in the right direction?
The Carolinas deserve a really good basketball product, and we want to have something that's sustainable. I think that we can year after year be competing in the playoffs for a championship, and so that's the road that we're going down.
And we love the support that we’ve gotten. I’m with Coby.
We’ll shock some people. We’ll be better than people realize.
But ultimately, we have to create our own expectations and standards of how we want to operate within our Hive, and that’s what’s really going to drive us throughout the whole year.”
The bench does look a lot sturdier now, with Dennis Schröder, Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale, Grant Williams and Hannes Steinbach all in the mix. That gives Charlotte more substance than it had before. Still, the big issue remains the same: there’s no obvious star power here yet, and in a stronger Eastern Conference, that matters.
Miller and Knueppel could eventually grow into that kind of role, but they aren’t there now. So while Lee is talking about a team that can surprise people, the most realistic version of that surprise may be a strong run in the Play-In race and a competitive push that stretches a top seed to six or seven games.
Anything beyond that would be asking a lot.
In Other News...
Hornets Veterans Suddenly Caught In Charlottes Offseason Roster Squeeze
The Hornets offseason is already starting to feel crowded, and not just on the depth chart. Charlotte has 17 players under contract, which means the front office will need to trim the group before the 2026-27 season, even as the roster has been reshaped by recent additions like Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce ONeale. Those moves helped address the forward rotation, but they also tightened the squeeze for veterans trying to carve out a meaningful role.
Dennis Schrder and Pat Connaughton have naturally found themselves in the middle of that discussion because the minutes are getting harder to find and the fit is less obvious than it once was. For a team trying to balance experience, versatility and long-term flexibility, the decisions ahead may come down less to reputation than to simple roster math, and Charlotte appears headed toward a few uncomfortable choices before the next season arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Face Another Tough Roster Decision After LaMelo Ball Trade
After moving on from LaMelo Ball, the Hornets have spent the rest of the summer trying to sort through a roster that suddenly feels crowded in a hurry. Charlotte has already made several notable moves, including adding Dennis Schroder and dealing Miles Bridges, but the churn has also created a new problem: there are only so many spots and minutes to go around, and the front office still appears to be weighing how best to balance the group.
One name now drawing attention is Dorian Finney-Smith, whose fit on the roster makes him a logical piece to shop if Charlotte wants to clear space. The Lakers and Cavaliers have been mentioned as possible landing spots, but nothing has been finalized, leaving the Hornets with another decision that could shape how this reshaped roster looks once camp approaches. [Read more 🡒]