The Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons are both walking into tonight’s matchup with shortened rotations, and the starting fives reflect it.
Charlotte will be without Coby White, Grant Williams, and Kon Knueppel. Detroit is missing Jalen Duren and Isaiah Joe. That opens the door for a different set of names to carry the load on both sides.
For the Hornets, Dennis Schröder gets the lead guard spot after stringing together encouraging play in his new role. His 25-point outing against the Heat stood out, and Charlotte will need another strong scoring night from him against a defense that won’t make anything easy.
Sion James is also in the starting group, with his defense giving him the edge even as his shooting remains a question. There has been some discussion about whether he should be the one to fill in for Kon Knueppel, but his minutes keep coming because of what he brings on that end.
Brandon Miller has another big assignment in front of him after a career-high 39-point game. Ausar Thompson is waiting, and the matchup projects as one of the toughest Miller has seen this season. Charlotte’s frontcourt also features Naz Reid, whose scoring has become almost automatic around the 17-point mark regardless of the circumstances, and Moussa Diabaté, who should have plenty of fuel for this one after what happened between these two teams last season.
Detroit’s starting five is built around Cade Cunningham, who remains the engine of the operation. He has opened the season well, even if he is not quite at last season’s peak yet, and he is still the central piece on both ends for the Pistons.
Alongside him is Duncan Robinson, whose movement and shooting force defenses to stay honest all night. If Sion James takes Cunningham, the Hornets will have to deal with Robinson running around the perimeter.
Ausar Thompson is set to spend plenty of time on Miller and brings the kind of defensive pressure that can wreck a game plan. Offensively, he is still developing, with no made three-pointers this season, but he impacts the game as a rebounder and cutter. John Collins slides into the four spot in place of offseason departure Tobias Harris, bringing more athleticism, speed, and movement there, while also giving Detroit another strong rebounder for his position.
At center, Paul Reed rounds out the group. Known to plenty of fans as “B-Ball Paul,” he’s one of the better backup bigs in the league because of his effort, energy, rebounding, and the occasional surprise from deep. He has hit three of three from three-point range so far this season.
In Other News...
Brandon Miller Is Making Charlottes Massive Bet Look Very Different
Brandon Millers latest burst has given Charlotte something it has not always had around its young core: a wing scorer who can change the look of a night in a hurry. The Hornets forward has piled up 73 points over his last two games, and the surge has only sharpened the sense that his role in Charlottes long-term plans is growing by the week. The front office certainly acted like it believed that when it handed him a five-year, $209 million extension, a move that tied the franchise more tightly to his development.
What makes the stretch even more notable is the way Miller is creating offense, not just finishing it. Jeff Teague recently drew a comparison between Miller and a young Paul George, suggesting the Hornets forward may already have a more polished offensive package at this stage, even if George had a steadier rsum by the same age. For Charlotte, the bigger question now is not whether Miller belongs in the buildings future, but how quickly his latest scoring run can become the norm rather than the exception. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets 3-1 Start Faces Its First Real Road Test In Detroit
Charlottes 3-1 start gets its first true road exam in Detroit, and it comes against a Pistons team that has made life difficult for the Hornets in recent seasons. The matchup has long been uncomfortable for Charlotte because of Detroits physical style and the way it can crowd the floor with switchable defenders, which tends to squeeze the Hornets offense when shots stop falling.
The timing may help a little, with Detroit playing the second night of a back-to-back, but the Hornets still have to navigate a game that figures to test their patience and shot creation. With the Pistons missing Jalen Duren, Charlotte has an opening inside, yet the broader issue is whether the Hornets can handle a defense built to take away clean perimeter looks and force a young team into tough possessions. [Read more 🡒]
Bill Simmons Just Sparked A Hornets Debate Fans Will Feel
The early-season buzz around Charlotte got a notable boost when Bill Simmons floated the idea that the Hornets already look like a playoff team. With a 3-1 start and the best record in the Eastern Conference, there is at least enough on the board to make that conversation feel real, especially with Brandon Miller coming off a career-high 39-point night and the roster still waiting on some key pieces to get healthy.
Even so, the bigger question hanging over this start is how much of it will hold up once the schedule tightens and the opponents get tougher. Charlotte has not yet beaten many strong teams, and the current formula still leans heavily on rebounding and Dennis Schrder, which leaves plenty of room for concern about whether the offense and defense can travel against better competition. [Read more 🡒]