The Charlotte Hornets are heading into the 2026-27 NBA season with a fresh set of questions and a clear goal: keep moving forward.
Media Day is already in the rearview mirror, and with training camp approaching, the league’s focus is starting to sharpen. Charlotte, which missed the playoffs last season but did make the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament, is trying to climb one more rung and become a real factor in the East.
That won’t happen on reputation alone. It has to happen on the floor.
A lot of that pressure now lands on Brandon Miller. With star guard LaMelo Ball gone, Miller is the face of the franchise and the player expected to carry the biggest load.
He’s already shown he can score, averaging over 20 points per game last season, but the next step is about more than putting up numbers. The Hornets need him to handle the extra responsibility that comes with being the top option and the lead voice in the offense.
The other major swing factor is Naz Reid. Charlotte brought him in from the Minnesota Timberwolves with a very specific job in mind: start in the frontcourt and give the team something it lacked a year ago.
Reid spent last season as Minnesota’s Sixth Man, but now he gets a bigger stage and a bigger role. He brings impact on both ends, and his defense could be especially important for a Hornets team looking for more stability inside.
If he meets expectations, Charlotte can start thinking about the playoffs again.
There’s also the backcourt to sort out, and that’s where Coby White enters the picture. With Ball no longer in Charlotte, White is set to help anchor the guard rotation.
The Hornets acquired him at the deadline last season, and he found real success after arriving. Now the question is whether he can fill enough of the void left behind to keep the offense steady while the rest of the roster adjusts around him.
Those are the three big ones for Charlotte: Miller’s rise, Reid’s fit, and White’s ability to hold down the backcourt. If the Hornets get those answers right, the season starts to look a lot more interesting.
In Other News...
Hornets Already Have A Point Guard Problem After Moving LaMelo
Moving on from LaMelo Ball was always going to reshape the Hornets backcourt, and the early returns have only made the point guard picture look more unsettled. Charlotte tried to patch things up by re-signing Coby White, drafting Christian Anderson Jr. and bringing in Dennis Schrder, a group that was supposed to keep the position steady while the franchise moved into its next phase.
Instead, the preseason has already brought more questions than answers. Anderson struggled in Summer League and is dealing with an injury, while White is sidelined with a calf issue and will miss preseason games, leaving Charlotte thin at the spot before the games even count. Ball, meanwhile, opened his Minnesota preseason looking comfortable in his new uniform, which only sharpens the contrast for Hornets fans still waiting to see whether the team's next answer at point guard is actually in place. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Miller Injury Creates An Early Hornets Concern
Brandon Millers preseason has already hit a small snag for the Hornets, with the second-year wing dealing with a shin contusion he picked up in practice. Charlotte has been taking the cautious route, keeping him day-to-day as the team works through the opening weeks of exhibition play and prepares for its next preseason test against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Millers absence from the recent game against the Brooklyn Nets added a little more early-season concern, especially for a player whose development remains central to Charlottes plans. There is already outside buzz about a possible long-term extension down the road, but for now the Hornets are focused on getting Miller back on the floor and making sure a preseason bump does not linger. [Read more 🡒]
Naz Reid Already Feels Like A Huge Part Of Charlottes Reset
Before Charlottes first preseason game against Brooklyn, Charles Lee was already talking about Naz Reid like a player who can help steady the Hornets new direction. The big man arrived from Minnesota as part of the LaMelo Ball trade, and his first taste of a Charlotte uniform offered a quick glimpse of why the team wanted him in the mix as it starts over with a reshaped roster.
Reid wasted little time showing he can bring scoring and activity in short bursts, and that matters for a Hornets group still sorting out how its pieces fit together around young talent such as Miller and Knueppel. With the season just getting underway, Charlotte is trying to establish roles and identity, and Reids early return has at least given the coaching staff one more reason to believe the reset can take hold sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]