If the Hornets are going to keep themselves in the mix next season, the young core has to move forward - and for most of these players, the next step is pretty specific.
The biggest issue hanging over the group is playmaking. Charlotte has suddenly lost the kind of creation that used to drive its offense, so the burden is shifting onto younger hands.
Sion James spent a lot of time as the backup point guard, and with Coby White’s injury history and rookie Christian Anderson in the backup role, James should keep seeing minutes at the one. In those stretches, he has to become a better facilitator.
Christian Anderson brings the kind of skill set Charlotte wants: shooting and passing. He hit better than 40% from three across his college career and averaged more than seven assists per game last season.
In a lot of ways, that mirrors what LaMelo Ball does. But Anderson still needs a stronger inside game, because rim pressure remains the missing piece.
That same playmaking theme reaches Moussa Diabaté. He doesn’t need to become Nikola Jokic on offense, but he does need to distribute better.
Diabaté’s top offensive trait is crashing the glass for offensive rebounds, and he’s already inclined to kick those chances out instead of forcing shots. If he sharpens his passing, he can help the offense flow more cleanly and find scorers more effectively.
Kon Knueppel is in a different spot now that there’s no LaMelo Ball to hand him open threes. He’s going to have to create more for himself as a primary ball-handler. The flashes are there, but Charlotte needs more of that if he’s going to take a real leap this season.
Brandon Miller’s challenge is also about self-creation, just in a different area. For a 6'9" player who can throw down dunks, he still isn’t a true inside scoring threat. The midrange and three-point game are already there, but if he’s going to grow into the face of the franchise, he has to threaten the rim and finish there.
Ryan Kalkbrenner’s efficiency jumps off the page, but the numbers tell two different stories. His 76.2% true shooting is elite, yet his 112.3 offensive rating points to the parts of his game that still need work. He finished at a ridiculous rate because so many of his shots came at the rim, and now he needs to become a better scorer to match his defense and accuracy.
Liam McNeeley’s path to minutes is tied more to defense than offense. He showed some promising things with the ball, but Charlotte already has plenty of shooting. What the team needs is more players who can stop opposing scorers, and if McNeeley can provide that, his role should grow.
Tidjane Salaün has already made clear progress in year two compared with his rookie season, but there’s still a gap to close. His defense is solid, and the three-point shot gives him a real offensive foundation, yet a 113.2 offensive rating still isn’t enough. He needs to keep improving on that end.
Hannes Steinbach rounds out the group as a big man whose future depends on stretching the floor. Charlotte already has enough shooting, but having a center who can threaten defenses from deep matters, and Steinbach is supposed to be that kind of player down the line.
He made 34% of his 53 college three-point attempts, so the base is there. Now he has to build on it.
In Other News...
Jeff Peterson Just Framed The Hornets Reset Fans Have Waited For
Jeff Peterson spent the offseason making the kind of moves that usually signal a front office has picked a direction, and in Charlottes case the direction is finally hard to miss. The Hornets have turned over major pieces, added future draft capital, and brought in veterans who fit a different timeline, while also using the draft to keep layering in young talent. It is a reset built more around flexibility and patience than trying to patch last seasons problems with another quick fix.
Petersons comments made the bigger picture even clearer for Hornets fans who have been waiting for a coherent plan. Charlotte is no longer pretending the next step has to be immediate, and the roster now looks like one that can be shaped around its younger core and the players the front office believes can grow with it. The unresolved part, of course, is how far the team is willing to lean into that long-term approach before the wins have to catch up. [Read more 🡒]
Jeff Peterson Just Sent A Clear Message About The Hornets Rebuild
Charlottes rebuild has been framed by a strong finish last season, but the front office is making clear that one hot stretch is not changing the long view. After winning 28 of its final 38 games, the Hornets still moved into a summer of sweeping changes, and president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson has been stressing that the organization is thinking bigger than a quick bounce back.
Petersons message is aimed at avoiding the kind of shortcut that can leave a team stuck in the middle for years. The Hornets want the process to be deliberate, not a rush to chase one playoff appearance, and that philosophy matters now as the roster continues to take shape around the long-term plan. [Read more 🡒]
Coby White Just Took On The Hornets Role That Changes Everything
Coby White is set to slide into a much bigger spotlight in Charlotte after arriving from Chicago on a three-year, $74 million deal this offseason. For a Hornets team that has spent the summer reshaping its roster, Whites move gives the backcourt a new direction and puts him in position to be one of the central figures in whatever comes next.
The Hornets have been busy reworking the lineup around a fresh mix of talent and draft capital, and Whites role is part of that larger reset. With Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel among the pieces expected to matter right away, Charlotte is clearly trying to build a different kind of foundation, and Whites fit at point guard will be one of the first things to watch when the season opens. [Read more 🡒]