Charles Lee isn’t asking Coby White to reinvent himself. He’s asking him to be Coby White - and to do a little more of everything.
With LaMelo Ball traded away over the offseason, the Charlotte Hornets’ backcourt is headed into the 2026-27 NBA season with a very different look. White, who arrived in Charlotte at the deadline last season, is now positioned to take over Ball’s spot on the roster and handle the lead guard duties.
That’s a big shift, but White gave Charlotte enough in his short stint to make the move feel natural. In 21 games with the Hornets, he averaged 15.6 points, 3.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game while shooting 39.1 percent from three-point range. That kind of perimeter scoring is exactly why Charlotte wanted him back, and he chose to re-sign with the team after last season because he believed this group could do something special.
Now the challenge changes.
Before the season tips off, Lee laid out what he wants from his point guard, and the message was simple: don’t try to copy anyone else in the league. The Hornets coach wants White to stay true to his own game, but he also wants to see growth where it matters most.
White has built his career as a scorer, and that remains a major part of what he brings. But Lee is pushing for more from his passing, too. If White is going to be Charlotte’s starter, barring any major changes, he’ll need to get more teammates involved and help keep the offense moving.
That’s where the next step lies for the Hornets. White’s career-best assist average is 5.1, set during his time with the Chicago Bulls, and Charlotte may need that level of playmaking at a minimum this season. The more he can set up shooters and create clean looks, the better chance this offense has to open up.
If White handles that responsibility, the Hornets could be in the playoff conversation in the Eastern Conference, even with plenty of competition around them. His role is that important, and how he performs may end up shaping how high Charlotte can climb.
The Hornets open their season on October 21 on the road against the Brooklyn Nets.
In Other News...
Hornets New Core Already Facing A Brutal Outside Verdict
The Hornets are trying to reset around a new-look starting group that leans on Coby White, Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, Naz Reid and Moussa Diabat, with Miller and Knueppel viewed as the faces of the next phase. It is a young, intriguing mix on paper, and one that carries a real burden after Charlotte missed the playoffs last season and fell in the play-in tournament.
Still, the early outside read has been harsh, with one national ranking slotting Charlottes projected starting lineup near the bottom of the league. For a franchise banking on Millers rise and the possibility of a massive rookie-scale extension down the road, the evaluation is a reminder that potential and credibility are still two very different things, and the Hornets have a lot to prove before this new core earns more than cautious optimism. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Enter A New Era With One Huge Question To Answer
The Hornets are stepping into the 2026-27 season with a very different look after the trade of LaMelo Ball to Minnesota, and the front office has clearly chosen a youth-driven reset. Charlotte still has enough offensive talent to believe it can score with most teams, but the bigger question around the franchise is how quickly the group can mature into something more stable and competitive in the East.
Head coach Charles Lee has spent the offseason steering the conversation toward a new way of winning, one built on taking the game seriously on the defensive end and supporting that vision with experienced help. The additions of Naz Reid, Royce O'Neale and Grayson Allen fit that plan, but the Hornets still have to prove the pieces can come together fast enough to keep the season from becoming another long lesson in development. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Fans Are Stuck On The Rob Dillingham Drama Off The Court
Rob Dillinghams brief stop in Charlotte already had people doing a double take, and the paperwork around it only added to the intrigue. The Hornets waived him on Sept. 28 after acquiring him in a trade, with the move tied to roster and financial considerations rather than anything on the floor, making it one of those transactions that feels more about the business side of the league than player evaluation.
Still, the conversation around Dillingham has not stayed confined to basketball decisions. Unverified social media screenshots involving Dillingham and influencer Tatiana Chanel have been making the rounds, and the online chatter has given Hornets fans another layer to unpack even though the interaction has not been confirmed. The larger question now is less about why Charlotte moved on and more about how much of this off-court noise will linger around a player whose time with the team was over almost as soon as it began. [Read more 🡒]