The Charlotte Hornets’ injury luck has turned ugly before the preseason has even started.
On Friday afternoon, the team announced that Grant Williams has a right hamstring injury and Kon Knueppel has a left hamstring injury, both suffered during offseason on-court activity. Neither player will take part in the preseason, and both are set to be re-evaluated during the first week of the regular season.
That means opening night is already in doubt for both, with no clear timetable beyond that.
For Williams, the timing is at least better than the alternative. He just worked his way back from an ACL injury partway through last season, so the fact that this setback is a hamstring issue instead of another knee problem matters. Knueppel’s injury is a tougher hit on the surface, though, especially after his brilliant rookie year, when he missed only one game because of injury.
Still, Charlotte may be better built to survive this stretch than it would have been in past seasons. The Hornets added Grayson Allen and also have Liam McNeeley, Knueppel’s draft classmate, available to help cover the backcourt and wing minutes. Williams’ absence should be easier to manage as well, with the frontcourt carrying plenty of bodies.
The bigger picture also softens the blow. Charlotte traded away LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges as part of a clear effort to push its window further down the road, so the team was never positioned to chase a title this season. A slow start would be far from ideal, but it would not wreck a year built more around adjustment than contention.
For now, the timing at least gives the Hornets the full preseason to sort through backup options and figure out a new starting five before the games start to count.
In Other News...
Hornets Trade Could Trigger Another Roster Move Fans Will Notice
The Hornets move to bring in Dorian Finney-Smith came with a familiar kind of roster housekeeping attached, as Charlotte sent Buddy Hield, Ryan Nembhard and cash considerations to the Hawks. It is the sort of trade that can reshape a rotation in one shot while also forcing the front office to sort through the extra pieces that come back in the deal, especially for a team still trying to tighten its roster around the rest of the season.
Ryan Nembhard is the name to watch next, because there is a real chance he does not stay on the roster for long. If he is let go, he could still draw attention elsewhere, with teams such as the Nuggets mentioned as possible suitors, which would make this a trade with a second ripple effect after the headline swap is already complete. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Hit With Early Rotation Concern After Busy Offseason
Charlottes offseason has already delivered a reshaped look, and now the early rotation picture is getting a little murkier. After sending LaMelo Ball to Minnesota and adding Buddy Hield and Ryan Nembhard from Atlanta in the Dorian Finney-Smith deal, the Hornets were already sorting through how the pieces might fit as camp approaches.
The latest snag comes with Grant Williams and Kon Knueppel, who are both expected to miss the preseason because of hamstring injuries suffered during offseason on-court work. Their situations will be checked again in the first week of the regular season, leaving Charlotte with a little less time to settle on combinations and roles before the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Face A Bigger Roster Question As Knicks Circle Moussa Diabate
The Hornets are once again in the middle of a roster conversation that reaches beyond their own rotation, with New York weighing Moussa Diabate as a possible backup center. For Charlotte, that kind of interest matters because Diabate has become the sort of developmental big teams like to circle when they need size, energy and a potential fit who can grow into a clearer role.
New York's pursuit has already taken a couple of turns, and the Knicks are now looking at a different way to get something done. For the Hornets, the question is whether a deal built around guard Miles McBride and a future first-round pick swap is the kind of return that makes sense for a young center with room to rise, or whether keeping Diabate in Charlotte is the better play as the roster continues to take shape. [Read more 🡒]