The Charlotte Hornets are on a short list nobody in the league wants to be part of: one of seven NBA teams that still haven’t won a playoff series this decade. Their last real crack came in 2015-2016, when they pushed the Miami Heat to seven games before falling.
Their last series win? You have to go all the way back to 2001-2002.
That’s the backdrop for Zach Lowe’s view, which has the Hornets ranked second among those seven teams to break through next. He put only the Orlando Magic ahead of them, followed by the Washington Wizards, Trail Blazers, Pelicans, Bulls and Kings.
“They're super deep. They're going to have guys who played last year... that are just not in the rotation,” he said.
“Coby White for LaMelo? Probably a step back offensively, but I don't know how much a step back it's going to be.”
Lowe also pointed to where the Hornets are being slotted in the East.
“They're kind of penciled in as 11th in the East, and that's probably appropriate. Defensively, it's going to be a bit of a challenge for them... just pure upside, and someone on the Cavs or Pistons is injured, who knows?”
That’s where the optimism lives: in depth, in upside, in the possibility that a few breaks open the door. Among the teams on that list, Charlotte may be the second-most talented group, with Washington at least having a case to climb higher next year.
But there’s a big difference between being interesting and actually getting where Lowe thinks they might go. The Hornets chose to take a step back this offseason, and they’re not built around an immediate push to contend. That makes them better positioned for what comes next, but it also makes this specific discussion a tough one.
The argument here is simple: for 2026-27, Charlotte looks more likely to be chasing the top of the draft than playing in the second round. Even if everything breaks right, the Hornets would still need a strong enough run just to reach the Play-In, then more good fortune to advance, and then another dose of it to knock off one of the East’s top two teams.
That’s a lot of things going right. In basketball, that rarely happens.
So while Lowe can see a path, the more likely outcome is that the Hornets won’t be a playoff team this year. Whether the offseason sacrifice pays off will be judged later. Just not now.