The NBA regular season is now practically over. The Charlotte Hornets, once 4-14, have clawed their way into the 9/10 play-in game.

Yet, it still feels a bit underwhelming, right? This team has been BUZZING since late December, an unreal tear. They finished their final 43 games with a record of 30-13.

If the Hornets played 82 games at that level, they’d have won 57 games. I think we take for granted how absurd of a run that is, especially from a team expected to be in the better-half of the draft lottery.

And yet, we’re still underwhelmed.

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Maybe not in the sense that Charlotte has made the play-in bracket, but more-so that they weren’t able to claw above the 9/10 game prior to the end of the regular season. It’s their third time in that specific game, and they were blown out in the prior two instances.

There’s a feeling of circumstances working against Charlotte, as well. The last time Charlotte was in the play-in bracket, they were the 10 seed with 43 wins. In a normal season, that win total would usually be good enough for the 7 or 8 seed.

But every time Charlotte has a winning record, it seems as though the middle class of the Eastern Conference becomes a gauntlet.

There’s kind of a funny tragedy in that.

Still, this is one of the best Hornets teams I’ve had the pleasure of watching - regardless of how the play-in shakes out.

But through all the doom-and-gloom, through the missed opportunities late in the season, through the fleeting playoff odds of the ill-fated 9/10 play-in matchup, I can’t help but think:

Wow. It’s mid-April and the Hornets still control their own destiny.

Don’t get me wrong, the odds aren’t great. Charlotte would have tripled their odds of making the postseason had they gotten to the 7/8 play-in game. But I still can’t help but feel that the Hornets are the best team that will be playing in the bracket - in spite of prior losses to the Heat, who hold such a unique place in Charlotte Hornets lore.

In some ways, I think having an uphill battle could prove to be a good thing. If Charlotte is truly worthy of a playoff spot, it won’t matter who they have to play to get there.

I think the recent games against the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons have put a damper on expectations for Charlotte, but if anything, I think it could make climbing the two-game play-in mountain that much sweeter.

That’s not to say I prefer things this way. If given the chance to trade records with the Orlando Magic or Philadelphia 76ers, I’d do so in a heartbeat.

But my point here is this: The Charlotte Hornets have an opportunity to make an already-memorable season that much greater. The story is still being written.

I think this team is still on the precipice of arriving. The latter half of this season is proof of that. But that final arrival has not taken place yet.

But it could next week.

For a team that has not made the playoffs in the near-decade that I’ve been covering the team, I’m choosing to remain optimistic.

My big picture, Weekly State of the Hive Address:

Not since the summer of 2022 has an offseason been this important for your — OUR — Charlotte Hornets.

And boy, did they botch that one badly.

I remember diving into former Hornet draftee and UConn guard James Bouknight’s film and being a bit excited. He could move off the ball well in college, shot much better in school than he inevitably would in the league, and c’mon.

It’s the Charlotte Hornets. Kemba was only a few years removed from leaving the team in a sign-and-trade to Boston…

It was a UConn guard. Safe to say that I was jaded from the jump.

Coming off their last winning season prior to our current ‘25-‘26 Bugs, everyone already knew LaMelo Ball had star potential.

He needed a running mate, and Miles Bridges was only in his second year. PJ Washington was still growing as a player. The Terry Rozier fit in the backcourt didn’t really work. Charlotte still didn’t have a real center.

Gordon Hayward had shown the front office he couldn’t be that main No. 2 guy, and Charlotte had just gotten obliterated in the Play-In by Indiana.

I haven’t seen many postseason games, much less a single postseason game, that crippled an NBA team’s offseason morale like that one did for Charlotte.

While I can’t quantify it as the reason for the collapse or make a case that it’s 100% true, in hindsight, it’s most certainly what it feels like happened nowadays.

Charlotte took Bouknight and traded up to get Kai Jones in the NBA draft the following June after their loss to the Pacers. They traded up for the first time in what felt like a millennium in the NBA draft to get Jones.

To put it kindly, it just didn’t work out. For either of them.

Hornets fans have always had a habit of overhyping prospects in past years as a way to cope with the on-court performance. Hyping up a prospect or young rostered rookie at least gives you hope.

The team wasn’t giving much of that hope out on their own. You can’t blame the fans for that.

This part here is what’s funny to me, looking back on that 2022 draft:

Remembering how quickly a fanbase that was known for overhyping their players bailed on those two guys’ potential. Some Jones believers stuck around a while based on his athleticism alone.

It wasn’t for very long.

The Hornets can’t afford to make the same mistake after this year’s winning season that they did the first time around. Not the trade-up for Jones itself, but Charlotte can’t afford to swing and miss on someone in late June this year. Period.

They need to be a contributor. Preferably immediately, as hard as that can be to expect of a rookie. I’d rather Charlotte trade their pick for a bona fide role player than swing and miss on someone.

Many a team has had a “wow, this group has real potential,” year — i.e., our current Hornets.

Charlotte had another one in 2021-2022. What most teams have always messed up is what comes next; Mitch Kupchak’s worst offseason, after his best team performance on-court in his tenure, put the Hornets right into that “most teams’ boat.

We all have a lot of Jeff Peterson love right now.

If Peterson botches this offseason as badly as Mitch Kupchak did in 2022, it could do real irreparable damage.

It took 4 years, a bullseye draft pick in Kon Knueppel, and multiple trades that the Hornets can look back on and say they won to dig out of that hole.

Let’s hope Peterson’s good rapport and patience in finding the right deal, which we’ve come to expect so far, remain true this summer.

None of us wants to go back into that dreaded darkness again. I’ve said this in an earlier edition, but it’s such a great metaphor.

Jeff Peterson is Woody in Toy Story 2: His arrival got me out of the packing peanuts, box, and darkness. I finally saw sunlight. You, me? The fans of the Hornets? We’re Jessie and Bullseye.

I don’t care if you go back home to your kid and your friends, Jeff. I understand.

I just can’t go back into storage again. Just like Jessie and Bullseye were due to finally get out, and stay out of those boxes, these fans are all due to stay out of the dark for longer than one year again. I’m nervous, but am resting my laurels on the greatness Jeff Peterson has clearly shown us he’s capable of in the long term.

Here’s to hoping and believing it’ll sustain.

The last three segments of Owen Watterson’s weekly column will be available here at 5 PM EST today.

The last time we spoke, the Hornets had dropped two straight at home and sat in the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference. The best-case scenario looked like the eighth seed, as everyone around them seemed to be blowing out some tanking team every time they took the court. Fast forward to now, the Hornets are coming off a 4-0 week and now sit just a half-game out from the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference.

While the 5th seed is all but wrapped up by Atlanta, skipping out on the play-in altogether is still in play. However, barring rest, the remaining three games for Charlotte are against the current top-3 seeds in the Eastern Conference.

While the team should obviously shoot for as high as they can climb, winning 1-2 of these final three games is essentially a must, as falling into a three-way tie with the Florida team would boot Charlotte back into the 9/10 play-in game as the 9 seed. This would mean that the best-case scenario would be having to win two games to grab the 8th seed… yikes.

The Official Hornets Fan Rooting Schedule

Monday (4/6):

• New York Knicks over the Atlanta Hawks - 7:00 PM ET

  • You could flip this and say the Hawks, so the Knicks are stuck at 3 and rest against the Bugs on the 12th, but that is unpredictable, so I am not going to bank on lineup decisions.

• Detroit Pistons over the Orlando Magic - 7:00 PM ET

• San Antonio Spurs over the Philadelphia 76ers - 8:00 PM ET

Tuesday (4/7):

• Charlotte Hornets @ Boston Celtics - 8:00 PM ET

• Miami Heat vs Toronto Raptors - 7:30 PM ET

  • Major dilemma. While I lean Miami due to the 6th seed being in reach and the Raptors standing in the way, the Heat being pushed further down is only good for the Hornets due to the tiebreakers. These two teams meet again on the 9th. I say it is more of a “push” for this one, and we will re-evaluate our rooting interests for the matchup on the 9th.

Wednesday (4/8):

• Cleveland Cavaliers over the Atlanta Hawks - 7:00 PM ET

• Minnesota Timberwolves over the Orlando Magic - 7:00 PM ET

Thursday (4/9):

• Miami Heat vs Toronto Raptors - 7:30 PM ET

  • See April 7th write-up.

• Houston Rockets over the Philadelphia 76ers - 8:00 PM ET

Friday (4/10):

• Charlotte Hornets vs Detroit Pistons - 7:00 PM ET

• Washington Wizards over the Miami Heat (Revenge for Bam’s 83 plz) - 7:00 PM ET

• Cleveland Cavaliers over the Atlanta Hawks - 7:00 PM ET

• New York Knicks over the Toronto Raptors - 7:30 PM ET

• Indiana Pacers over the Philadelphia 76ers (AHHHHHHHH) - 7:30 PM ET

• Chicago Bulls over the Orlando Magic (Young Bull legacy game?) - 8:00 PM ET

Saturday (4/11):

• No NBA Games this night

Sunday (4/12):

• Charlotte Hornets vs New York Knicks - 6:00 PM ET

• Boston Celtics over the Orlando Magic - 6:00 PM ET

• Atlanta Hawks vs Miami Heat - 6:00 PM ET

  • We’ll probably end up cheering for Atlanta by the time this game comes around, but who knows.

• Milwaukee Bucks over the Philadelphia 76ers (Let Giannis Play!) - 6:00 PM ET

Brooklyn Nets over the Toronto Raptors (Who are we kidding) - 6:00 PM ET

Tiebreaker Central

Charlotte Hornets:

• Tied 2-2 vs TOR

• Won 3-1 vs ATL

• Lost 2-1 vs PHI

• Won 3-1 vs ORL

• Lost 1-3 vs MIA

Miami Heat:

• Losing 0-2 vs TOR (4/7, 4/9)

• Winning 2-1 vs ATL (4/12)

• Won 2-1 vs PHI

• Lost 4-0 vs ORL

• Won 3-1 vs CLT

Orlando Magic:

• Lost 2-1 vs TOR

• Lost 0-4 vs ATL

• Lost 2-1 vs PHI

• Won 4-0 vs MIA

• Lost 3-1 vs CLT

Philadelphia 76ers:

• Tied 2-2 vs TOR

• Lost 4-0 vs ATL

• Won 2-1 vs ORL

• Lost 2-1 vs MIA

• Won 2-1 vs CLT

Atlanta Hawks:

• Lost 4-0 vs TOR

• Won 4-0 vs PHI

• Won 4-0 vs ORL

• Losing 2-1 vs MIA (4/12)

• Lost 3-1 vs CLT

Toronto Raptors:

• Won 4-0 vs ATL

• Tied 2-2 vs PHI

• Won 2-1 vs ORL

• Winning 2-0 vs MIA (4/7, 4/9)

• Tied 2-2 vs CLT

NBA Tiebreaker Rules

My big picture, Weekly State of the Hive Address:

I’d like to start here with a quote from someone whom I’ve watched a lot over the years of my life, thus far:

“Everyone… stay calm – EVERYONE STAY F****NG CALM!”

While the Charlotte Hornets fans are all in different varieties of panic mode right now, similar to the above-quoted Michael Scott during a fire drill – I think we all need to collectively take a breath of either: 1. Fresh air, or 2. A Xanax (if prescribed!)

A glass of water may even help, with so many of you on Twitter losing your voices with concern. Talking-head Dry-Throat Syndrome Lives matter, too.

I, and others before me, have called this Hornets season a ‘house money’ year. I’d like to really illustrate that real quick, so you all have an idea of where my head is at.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve only actually gambled on a few occasions. I don’t particularly love the firm grasp that gambling companies have in our world right now, so I consciously try to stay away.

But let’s imagine a world where I’m not protesting The Man in my own way (don’t worry, that’ll never actually happen).

Imagine not only a world where I gamble, but one where I’m a degenerate who’s lost all my money to the casino(s). I’m walking out towards the front doors, wallet empty, tears in my eyes… no hope. I’m down for the count, right? That’s the Charlotte Hornets of yesteryear. Gambled until broke, everything lost in a bout with the (metaphorical) NBA casino.

Left with 19 wins, and a wonder of if your star player(s) could even be on the court long enough to ever be a star player again.

Now, let’s take that degenerate gambler who’s bet their life into irrelevancy again. Our multiple-year sub-20 win Hornets, if you haven’t caught the drift by now.

You’ve finally finished the walk of shame to the front door with your pockets empty, your dreams, or soul, crushed, likely both, and you just don’t know where to turn.

Until, and this is how you know this is an allegory for certain, a casino worker walks up to you. He looks familiar, and he tells you his name is Bradam Tilver. He offers you a million more dollars to go gamble for free. Gamble once, Tilver says, and after? You can take the rest home if you’d like. On the house!

Well, it wasn’t Adam Silver or Bradam Tilver, but that’s exactly what our beaten and bruised multiple-season struggle bugs were gifted this offseason.

House money. At points this season, the complete overhaul has truly felt like a gift from the basketball gods. If you’ve watched years of dreadful Hornets basketball, that’s what this has felt like – so absurd and unbelievable that I can only compare it to a casino worker dupe of Adam Silver offering you free money that you can have on the house with no strings attached.

These Hornets have 42 wins after beating the Pacers on Friday night, guaranteeing a winning season for the first time since 2021-2022. Before that, 2015-2016, 2013-2014, and 2009-2010.​

The latter three seasons listed are the only times the Charlotte Hornets and Bobcats (since expansion in 2004-2005) have ever made the playoffs outright. 2021-2022 was a blowout in the first-ever NBA Play-In Tournament, not an outright appearance. Those 2021-2022 Hornets are still the highest-finishing tenth seed since the invention of the Play-In Tournament.

None of those years left you with the swell of future hope that this Hornets team has right now, internally and externally, regardless of their end-of-season outcome. Only a first-game bounce, particularly a blowout, in a play-in game could change the temperature gauge from where it is now.

Strings of bad games are going to happen, guys. Especially against good teams. These guys in purple and teal haven’t seen high-leverage basketball like this in almost 4 years. Some of them have never been in it at all.

It takes punches from elite NBA teams to learn how to eventually deliver blows of your own.

It was never going to happen this year. This is all for fun, a free one million dollars to gamble or take home, if you will, and to see where next year can take us. We all eventually get past the euphoria of a surprise team.

Even after the disillusionment sets in, everyone try and enjoy it while you can… This magical season is rapidly approaching its conclusion. Let’s not forget the joy that these 82 have given us along the way.

I don’t care how it ends, as long as it’s respectable (Please. I can’t watch another blowout in the play-in.)​

I just can’t wait to get there and see how it ends, instead of talking about it ad nauseam… again.

The other three segments of Owen Watterson’s weekly column will be posted at 5:00 PM EST, Saturday, April 4th, and can be found here.

Coming off a disappointing end to what was otherwise a very successful home stretch, the Hornets are still in the thick of the seeding race at the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Although the loss to Philly cost the Hornets a potentially valuable tiebreaker over the 76ers, and the loss to Boston certainly did not help the cause, the Hornets remain within striking distance of reaching the 7/8 seed play-in game. Or at minimum, at least a chance at the 9 seed to earn homecourt advantage in the 9/10 seed play-in match. Either way, every game from here on out is essentially a playoff game for the bugs in a race to try to position themselves to qualify for the 1st Round of the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-2016 season.

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Standings Overview

The Official Hornets Fan Rooting Schedule

Monday (3/30):

• Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat - 7:00 PM ET

  • You could go either way here, but I lean towards cheering for Miami to lose, as they are much more attainable for the Hornets to catch.

• Boston Celtics over the Atlanta Hawks - 7:30 PM ET

Tuesday (3/31):

• Charlotte Hornets @ Brooklyn Nets - 7:30 PM ET

• Phoenix Suns over the Orlando Magic - 7:00 PM ET

• Detroit Pistons over the Toronto Raptors - 8:00 PM ET

Wednesday (4/1):

• Washington Wizards over the Philadelphia 76ers (lol) - 7:00 PM ET

• Atlanta Hawks vs Orlando Magic - 7:00 PM ET

  • I lean towards cheering for the Magic to lose here, for the same reason as wanting Miami to lose on Monday.

• Boston Celtics over the Miami Heat - 7:30 PM ET

• Sacramento Kings over the Toronto Raptors (sigh) - 8:00 PM ET

Thursday (4/2):

• Charlotte Hornets vs Phoenix Suns - 7:00 PM ET

Friday (4/3):

• Charlotte Hornets vs Indiana Pacers - 7:30 PM ET

• Minnesota Timberwolves over the Philadelphia 76ers - 7:00 PM ET

• Brooklyn Nets over the Atlanta Hawks - 7:30 PM ET

• Memphis Grizzlies over the Toronto Raptors - 8:00 PM ET

• Dallas Mavericks over the Orlando Magic - 8:30 PM ET

Saturday (4/4):

• Washington Wizards over the Miami Heat (oh come on) - 3:00 PM ET

• Detroit Pistons over the Philadelphia 76ers - 7:00 PM ET

Sunday (4/5):

• Charlotte Hornets @ Minnesota Timberwolves - 7:00 PM ET

• Boston Celtics over the Toronto Raptors - 3:30 PM ET

• New Orleans Pelicans over the Orlando Magic - 7:00 PM ET

Tiebreaker Central

Charlotte Hornets:

• Tied 2-2 vs TOR

• Won 3-1 vs ATL

• Lost 2-1 vs PHI

• Won 3-1 vs ORL

• Lost 1-3 vs MIA

Miami Heat:

• Losing 0-2 vs TOR (4/7, 4/9)

• Winning 2-1 vs ATL (4/12)

• Tied 1-1 vs PHI (3/30)

• Lost 4-0 vs ORL

• Won 3-1 vs CLT

Orlando Magic:

• Lost 2-1 vs TOR

• Losing 0-3 vs ATL (4/1)

• Lost 2-1 vs PHI

• Won 4-0 vs MIA

• Lost 3-1 vs CLT

Philadelphia 76ers:

• Tied 2-2 vs TOR

• Lost 4-0 vs ATL

• Won 2-1 vs ORL

• Tied 1-1 vs MIA (3/30)

• Won 2-1 vs CLT

Atlanta Hawks:

• Lost 4-0 vs TOR

• Won 4-0 vs PHI

• Winning 3-0 vs ORL (4/1)

• Losing 2-1 vs MIA (4/12)

• Lost 3-1 vs CLT

Toronto Raptors:

• Won 4-0 vs ATL

• Tied 2-2 vs PHI

• Won 2-1 vs ORL

• Winning 2-0 vs MIA (4/7, 4/9)

• Tied 2-2 vs CLT

NBA Tiebreaker Rules

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My big picture, Weekly State of the Hive Address:

We’re staring down a way-too-familiar tiebreaker situation at the back of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

For the Hornets (fans), at least.

I can imagine it now. There are nine games left, so bear with my daydreams for a moment here. Charles Lee is in the locker room. Last game of the season against New York is over, and the Hornets got the crap end of a big Eastern Conference tiebreaker.

“It’s okay, everyone. Home-court, play-in, playoffs – doesn’t matter. We’ll take anyone, anywhere.”

Lee gets a clap from his team, they break down the huddle, and move on.

Lil ‘ole me? Oh, I’ll never move on.

Easy for you to say, Charles! How inconsiderate of you not to think of the Hive and me!

You’ve done lots for the Hive, Charles. I’ll be transparent about my tiebreaker PTSD, so maybe you can understand why none of us want to see it happen again.

Let’s just… end the season on a fourteen-game win streak and call it a day.

Who can possibly stand another instance of 2015-2016?

Or the Finale 2013-2014 Bobcats, oh-so-close to avoiding the LeBron-led Heat, who were undefeated against the Bobcats and Hornets in his Heat tenure?

Most commonly known, the ‘15-’16 Hornets finished sixth in a four-way tiebreaker from the third-seeded Heat down to sixth-seeded Charlotte. I’m sure Steve Clifford gave an eerily similar message (I wasn’t there) to his team in ‘15-’16 after the season’s finale that my fake Charles Lee gave to a non-existent, hypothetical entity.

That didn’t matter in game seven of 2016 in Miami after the seeding doomed the universe to see Dwyane Wade clash with Purple Shirt Guy in game six, leading to a South Beach blowout versus the Hornets in game seven.

That same speech was rendered irrelevant in April of 2014, too, after another collision course with Miami occurred because the Washington Wizards did not lose on the regular season’s finale day.

The Bobcats beat the third-seeded Chicago Bulls to end the ‘13-’14 year; the Bulls, whom, had the Wizards lost on finale day, the Bobcats would have played instead of Miami.

The one time Charlotte DID own the tiebreaker in the past twenty years when it mattered, the Wiz of all teams (no offense, John Wall; that song was awesome when I was 14!) took care of business and didn’t give the ‘Cats the upper hand.​

If the Hornets had anything like their own version of the Red Sox “Curse of the Bambino” lingering around, we’ve seen this 2025-2026 version of the Hornets and the real Charles Lee squash most of whatever it was.

Hornets fans have seen lots of crap ends of the draw in the past two decades. From the lottery to bad draft selections to bad tiebreaker outcomes.

Hell, Charlotte hits big on another top-four selection for the third time in five years, and the NBA and Adam Silver COINCIDENTALLY come up with the most convoluted ‘anti-tanking’ solutions any of us have ever seen in pro sports.

Let’s keep busting the status quo, Charles. It starts tonight against the Sixers.

The last three segments of Owen Watterson’s weekly newsletter can be found here.

The Charlotte Hornets will be immortalizing a jersey in the rafters of Spectrum Center on Thursday, adding to the lone Hornets name of the late Bobby Phills, and there is no better candidate than Phills’ teammate, Dell Curry.

The two shared the hardwood 55 times and were a part of the 97-98 Hornets team that handed the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls their 21st loss of the season in the second round of the playoffs.

Now, the pair will be side-by-side in the rafters of Spectrum Center.

The history of the Charlotte Hornets and of Dell Curry began on the same date: June 23, 1988. The newly established team in Charlotte selected Curry with their first expansion draft pick.

And with that, he became the first-ever Charlotte Hornet.

Dell Curry wore the classic Hornets pinstripes for the next 10 seasons, becoming a legend in purple and teal. He holds what is still a franchise record of 701 games played, operating as one of the league’s premier shooters.

That shooting ability would earn him a slot representing the Hornets in two 3-point contests at the 1992 and 1994 All-Star weekend(s).

Curry averaged 2.9 3-point attempts per game across his 16 years in the league, with the ball finding home in the basket 40.2 percent of the time.

His best ball was played from ‘92 through ‘97, when he averaged 15 points for a Hornets team that reached the playoffs three different times.

Curry was an incredible bench scorer during that stretch. Consequently, received votes for sixth man in four of those years, and won the award itself in 1994 when he averaged a career high 16.3 points.

Curry remains the only Hornet to win the award.

When the time came to retire, Curry had become the franchise leader in points (9,839), field goals (3,951), 3-point field goals (929), and games played (701).

To this day, he remains in the franchise’s top ten for minutes played, assists, steals, and points, where he was only overtaken by the great Kemba Walker in 2018.

Curry was one of the true pioneers of the 3-pointer, helping to lay the foundation for the style of play that came after him. Upon his retirement in 2002, Curry was 10th in all-time 3-point field goals.

Curry would not stay out of basketball upon his retirement, though.

Mirroring his beginning with the Charlotte Hornets, he was working in the front office of the Bobcats upon their inception. He began work as the Bobcats’ Director of Basketball Relations in 2003. A year later, his role changed to become the Director of Player Programs.

Next, he held a brief role on Sam Vincent’s coaching team in 2007, but would pivot into a community role to follow his two sons in their young basketball careers.

Those sons, of course, were Seth and Steph Curry.

Seth has had a strong 12-year career in the league as a knockdown shooter with a career average 3-point percentage of 43%. Seth even played for the Hornets for a season and a half, where he, of course, wore the iconic ‘Curry #30’ jersey, invoking nostalgia amongst original fans who witnessed Dell play.

Seth naturally became a fan favorite, registering a career-high 45% 3-point percentage.

As for Steph, well, he went on to become the greatest shooter of all time.

Steph propelled the Golden State Warriors to four NBA championships, winning two regular-season MVP awards along the way, among a long list of other awards and accolades. Naturally, he is the league’s all-time leader in 3-point field goals, with a staggering 4,233 to his name, and rising. Steph is widely regarded as a top-2 point guard of all-time.

Starting in 2009, Dell began calling Hornets broadcasts as a game analyst, which he continues to this day, now alongside play-by-play commentator Eric Collins.

The duo bounces off one another, making for an enjoyable viewing experience, regardless of the quality of basketball on court over the years.

They’re an incredible pairing and have since gotten their flowers on the national stage as they landed spots on Amazon’s Prime coverage for the 2025-26 season.

Curry frequently provides those broadcasts with sweet honey in the form of little pieces of information and insight that only a player of his locality, quality, experience, and understanding of the game could convey to the viewers.

Curry still represents the Hornets wherever he goes in an ambassador role. In 2019, when All-Star Weekend rolled into Charlotte, Dell participated in a 3-point charity shooting event alongside NBA legends Ray Allen, Glen Rice & Mark Price.

From 1988 to 2026, Dell Curry has proven it is only fitting to retire his jersey and honour his incredible legacy to the organization and city.

When current and future Hornets step out on that hardwood and peer into the rafters they’ll see “Curry #30”. Dell has and continues to give the franchise, city, and community his all.

He is what a professional athlete should be. He is an exemplary human being.

He’s THE Charlotte Hornet.

Dell has bled purple-and-teal for a rather fitting 30+ years. That level of loyalty and commitment is rare not just in the sports world, but in life.

His on-court play helped revolutionize the game. His charitable and personal efforts speak volumes to who he is.

Dell Curry represents what we should aspire to be: that of someone who represents and helps their community.

Not because there is some extrinsic reward attached, but because it’s the right thing to do.

Thank you Dell,

from Buzz City

As is now the precedent, a 30-pick mock draft has been completed to ensure that the selections on our board are as fair and reasonable as possible. The Hornets are now under our control - sorry, Jeff.

As of March 16th, the Charlotte Hornets own the 13th overall pick (their own) and the 20th overall pick (least favorable of ORL/PHX, via Nurkic trade).

Since the previous Mock Draft Monday installment, the Hornets’ lone 2026 second-round pick has been sent to Miami for the Terry Rozier situation.

With the 13th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets select:

Hannes Steinbach - Forward - Washington

Hannes Steinbach will not be taking the court in the upcoming NCAA tournament following what could best be summed up as a disappointing season for the Huskies. Washington really struggled to form any sort of solid offense outside of what Steinbach provides, which is a blend of interior creation both as a scorer and playmaker, and what could be the best rebounding talent in the 2026 class.

Steinbach averaged 18.5 points per game making 61.8% of his two-point attempts. He shot 10.3 shots per night from inside the arc, and secured 4.2 offensive rebounds per contest.

The three-point shot, though not perfect, shows promise as he shot 34% from beyond the arc on nearly two attempts per game.

It’s easy to lump the 6-foot-10 center who lacks game changing athleticism into the defensive liability category, but Steinach actually averaged 2.3 stocks (steals + blocks) per game, and when you pair that with a nearly-unheard of 25% defensive rebounding rate, you see where his value comes from on that side of the ball.

Steinbach may not be a defensive playmaker, but with his good timing and glass dominance, he ends possessions after the first shot.

The Hornets are fond of this style of defense as we’ve seen this season, where rebounding has become their means of limiting opposing teams’ shot totals. Steinbach probably doesn’t offer the anchor style defense that lots of our fellow armchair general managers would insinuate that the Hornets need, but he does fit into the scheme Charles Lee has installed on defense, while significantly raising the capabilities of the offense with his at-the-rim creation and spacing potential.

Honorable Selections: Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr. - Michigan

With the 20th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets select:

Tounde Yessoufou - Wing - Baylor

Baylor, like Washington, really struggled this year, but in a much more volatile way, with some very high highs and some pretty poor lows. Scott Drew’s offense really lacked a true initiator following the last-minute departure of now-BYU guard Robert Wright III.

Yessoufou was being touted as a lottery guarantee before the season, but has since slid quite a ways down draft boards. This all being said, we feel that his perceived decline has been due to a misunderstanding of what Tounde is at his best, or at least where he contributes the most at the NBA level.

Yessoufou, a 6-foot-5 wing who totes a very impressive and NBA-ready frame at a reported 215 pounds, is an athletic monster. We’ll learn more of his athletic testing at the NBA Draft Combine, but for now what we know is that Yessoufou is one of the premier transition finishers in all of college basketball.

His length allows him to generate steals that led to quick fastbreak scores for himself and others, and he converted his two-point field goals at a 57.1% clip, fairly respectable for what is otherwise an undersized wing. The big question mark around Yessoufou is the three-point shot, where he shot 30%, however that was on 5.4 attempts per night. Those shots, we’ll add, were not being set up for him a good majority of the time.

His self-creation is the key to unlocking some serious potential, but in a system with guards such as LaMelo Ball and Coby White to initiate, and the scoring gravity of Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller, he will get lots of chances to do what he does best: finish plays.

The Hornets have gotten great production from the energy and defensive efforts of Josh Green, and while I do think Green’s role isn’t a key position of need for the Hornets, we view Yessoufou as potentially the best possible version of that particular archetype. Yessoufou will rebound, dive for loose balls, run in transition, and is just a physically dominant player who can guard nearly anybody on the perimeter. He embodies Hornets DNA, and whether you like it or not, Charles Lee and Jeff Peterson value that.

Honorable Selections: Joshua Jefferson - Iowa State and Nate Ament - Tennessee

This class adds players who, despite being typecast for their skills on one side of the court, provide help on both ends.

We see a world where Steinbach can play in place of or even alongside the likes of Moussa Diabate and/or Ryan Kalkbrenner given Steinbach’s ability to pass on the inside and his promising spacing potential.

Steinbach is a very skilled center who can make a mismatch pay in multiple ways. His mobility allows the Hornets offense to keep its pace more than many of the other center prospects would allow them too in this class.

Yessoufou has a mountain of potential, but the physical acumen alone makes the upside swing on a player this versatile worth it. He can quickly become somebody who, like Sion James, can be trusted early with key defensive assignments, and will be able to score as the game comes to him.

For what it’s worth, there aren’t many players who would be more fun to watch catch lobs from LaMelo Ball, than Yessoufou.

The NBA Draft cycle is in full swing with March Madness having arrived, and my personal big board has been tweaked relentlessly over the past few months.

This draft class is like none I’ve ever covered before: there is more talent at the top of the draft and there is more talent deeper in the draft. I can say it’s the “best” class of the past decade from a pre-draft evaluation.

The conversation at the top of the class will be an interesting one, with all three top prospects (Cam Boozer, Darryn Peterson, and AJ Dybantsa) having a case to be the first overall pick.

Before we get into it, let’s talk about some of the traits I value, and the traits I tend to avoid.

Age and developmental curve: I really try to avoid ranking much older prospects higher, particularly if they were a late breakout. You’ll see players such as Yaxel Lendeborg and Thomas Haugh ranked lower here. Those are players that are a bit older and don’t have as much upside as other younger players in this class, to me.

Decision-Making: I tend to value players with a high feel for the game and quick processing speed. The faster a player makes a decision (dribble, pass, shoot), the better off they are at extending advantages and making up for athleticism deficiencies.

Rarity: I will usually value a skill set that is harder to come by. I like ball-handling wings, bigger playmakers, bigs that move well or shoot. I’m less inclined to rank common skill sets higher: smaller guards, power scorers, rim-running bigs.

As for now, my board goes as follows:

Tier 1: Worthy of #1 Overall

All three of these players are worth the first overall pick.

1 - Cam Boozer - F - Duke

I really do think Cam Boozer has continued to make himself the most valuable player in this draft class. I struggle to nitpick weaknesses in his game. While some will point to a lack of vertical athleticism and undercooked defensive prowess at times, Boozer has the makings of an elite offensive engine from the power forward spot.

Boozer is averaging 23-10-4 on elite shooting splits. He’s also doing that at 18 years old. That’s just not a player that comes around often.

While you could make a case for any of the top-3 prospects in this spot, my personal preference is Boozer, who I think has the highest floor and easiest scalability of any of the three. I think his ceiling is comparable to both of Peterson and Dybantsa, as well.

2 - AJ Dybantsa - W - BYU

AJ Dybantsa is a shot-hunting wing that had arguably the single-best game of any draft prospect this season against Arizona last month, tallying a stat line of 35 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 stocks.

NBA teams salivate over tall wings with ball-handling ability, and I’d currently bet on Dybantsa being the first overall pick.

3 - Darryn Peterson - G - Kansas

There are a ton of questions about Darryn Peterson’s time at Kansas, but looking from the outside - I’m willing to waive away some of those concerns based on his high school film.

In a perfect world, we’d have seen the explosiveness and playmaking that Peterson was able to show prior to his Kansas days, but a nagging injury and some general weirdness has dragged him down.

Still, I think there’s a scenario where a week into the NBA season, everyone recognizes that Peterson was very-much overthought as a prospect.

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Tier 2: Better Than The Rest

Caleb Wilson deserves his own tier.

4 - Caleb Wilson - F - UNC

Caleb Wilson is a long forward that showed many of the traits that NBA teams love - defensive intensity, rebounding, and flashes as a ball-handler and scorer.

Wilson reminds me a lot of Pacers forward Pascal Siakam from a length and movement standpoint. And while Siakam has grown as a shooter throughout his career, opinions about Wilson’s outside shot will determine how high he goes on draft night.

Tier 3: Early Lottery Grades

This tier is comprised of players that I think are worthy of being selected in the top-half of the lottery (first seven picks) in a normal draft class.

5 - Kingston Flemings - G - Houston

I’m fascinated to see the order at which the next four guards are taken on draft night, and I think it comes down to a team’s lead decision-maker’s “favorite flavor.”

Mine happens to be Flemings, who has explosiveness and playmaking that makes me think he is, at a bare minimum, going to be a franchise point guard for a long time.

I love how Flemings operates in the pick-and-roll, he generates rim pressure and is efficient in creating open, consistent looks for others.

My main concerns are around his shot diet. I’d like to see a greater volume of 3-pointers and free throws, but I’m all-in on Flemings being a primary creator at the next level.

6 - Keaton Wagler - G - Illinois

Since the start of 2026, Keaton Wagler is averaging 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists per game on 44/39/80 shooting splits. That’s incredible for a freshman guard.

There are some concerns about his athleticism, but I don’t necessarily think that’s a limiter on his potential. It’s hard to find guards that have the skill level of Wagner, and I’m willing to bet on his shooting and playmaking translating to the NBA level.

Wagler is a bit reminiscent of a prime Malcolm Brogdon - a high-efficiency guard that can flourish on or off the ball.

7 - Mikel Brown - G - Louisville

In the 20 games prior to sustaining a nagging back injury, Mikel Brown was climbing into the top-5 conversation, averaging 19/3/5 on 42/36/84 splits. He’s a really exciting young point guard prospect that thrives on his scoring ability.

I’d like to see some improvement regarding his efficiency across the board - as a shooter and playmaker, and making his 6-foot-5 frame a bit more pronounced on the defensive end.

8 - Darius Acuff - G - Arkansas

Darius Acuff is one of the most polarizing prospects I can remember. He’s unbelievably talented as a point guard. Acuff is tremendous as a scorer and playmaker for Arkansas. He’s averaging 23/3/6 on 49/44/80 shooting splits.

That’s just outrageous, and not something that should be normal for a 19-year old guard.

My questions around Acuff’s game are based on his defense. It’s bad, he is one of the worst guard defenders I’ve evaluated. And if he’s going to be so bad on defense, that will limit his value. Especially when it’s hard to see him getting much better on that end.

I mean, we just saw the theoretical Acuff ceiling comparison (Trae Young) get salary dumped at the trade deadline.

I’m far from being out on Acuff, I think he can be the offensive engine for an NBA team, but my questions about his value in a playoff setting (and defensive drawbacks) lead me to being lower on him than most.

9 - Brayden Burries - W - Arizona

I think Brayden Burries will be a consistent top-10 pick in Mock Drafts come June. I like his two-way style of play, and he’s productive as a 20-year old on one of the premier teams in college basketball.

He’s got size as a two-guard, can generate consistent rim pressure, and has shown efficiency from three.

10 - Labaron Philon - G - Alabama

I don’t think Labaron Philon goes this high in the NBA Draft due to the amount of guards in the lottery, but you can count me as a fan of his game.

Philon has tons of scoring ability, can playmake for others, and has shown some real “want-to” on the defensive end of the floor. I have concerns about his ability to hold up against the physicality of the NBA level, but think his game should translate nicely.

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Tier 4: Late Lottery Grades

Players that I think are worthy of being selected in the lottery most seasons. Generally I will have 10-12 players graded out at lottery prospects. This is not a normal draft class, however.

11 - Nate Ament - F - Tennessee

I get that Nate Ament has been falling on draft boards lately, but I can only drop him so far. Ament is a 19-year old, 6-foot-10 forward that had a 16-game stretch averaging 20/6/2.

That’s really good! Especially as an SEC freshman.

Ament could go as early as the fifth overall pick or as late as the 20th overall pick. I believe in the offensive talent, and think that the right coach and system could get the most out of him.

12 - Braylon Mullins - G - UConn

I believe that Braylon Mullins will be a pre-draft process riser. He’s got a lot more to his game than he was able to show at Connecticut this past season.

Mullins has some real athletic bounce, more of a handle than he’s shown, and, of course, the shooting. While I doubt he measures in at a true 6-foot-6, I think Mullins is more than worth a bet in the lottery.

13 - Jayden Quaintance - B - Kentucky

Jayden Quaintance is a pretty massive projection based on what he showed at Kentucky this past season. But my reason for believing in him comes from what he accomplished at Arizona State as a 17-year old in 2024-25: he averaged 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks.

That is incredible for a player that should be a senior in high school.

I get the injury concerns, but Quaintance has been a special defender when on the floor. He’s worth a bet early.

14 - Morez Johnson - B - Michigan

Morez Johnson is my kind of big prospect. He’s big, long, moves well for his size, and has shown some real flashes of being able to shoot it from NBA distance. Johnson is efficient inside, has real touch from the free throw line, and brings elite rebounding.

I think Johnson will be able to hang defensively in the NBA, but his ceiling will be determined by how far his shot will develop. If it’s consistent and at volume, he could become a very valuable starter.

15 - Koa Peat - F - Arizona

I just can’t quit Koa Peat. He’s a physical presence that crashes the rim offensively, and shown some good positional versatility on defense.

It’s really hard for players with the physical tools and motor of Koa Peat to fail at the NBA level. And I think he’s got some solid feel for the game in his decision-making.

16 - Hannes Steinbach - B - Washington

Hannes Steinbach is one of the more under-discussed freshmen in college basketball, but he had quite an amazing season for Washington, averaging 19 points and 12 rebounds on 58/34/76.

Steinbach is the best rebounder in this draft class, though I’m not sure he will be able to consistently guard centers at the next level. And if he can’t do that, he will almost certainly have to continue to develop his outside shot.

17 - Christian Anderson - G - Texas Tech

While I’m not sure Christian Anderson declares for the draft this season, he would immediately bring two elite skills to the NBA: his shooting and passing.

Anderson is currently averaging 19 points and eight assists per game on 48/43/80. He’s a special perimeter talent, though I have questions about his ability to work inside the arc.

Texas Tech will almost certainly do their best to retain Anderson, in which case he’d be one of the best players in college basketball in 2026-27.

18 - Chris Cenac - B - Houston

Chris Cenac is a modern big prospect who moves well for his size (while not skipping out on any of the physicality). Cenac is a fairly unpolished prospect, he's not overly consistent as a shooter (and was not all that great at the FT line this season), but he’s a clean fit for almost any team that needs help in the front court.

A while back, Nic Claxton coined the term “project that can play.” Cenac fits into that mold, in my opinion.

19 - Karim Lopez - F - INTL

Karim Lopez is one of the more intriguing players in this draft, to me. He got much better as the NBL season went along, and was fairly productive considering his age.

It’s a weird profile, Lopez doesn’t move all that well for his size and has shown some inconsistency in his shooting, but he has length, great instincts on the basketball court, and a solid handle for his size.

20 - Bennett Stirtz - G - Iowa

I am not generally a fan of prospects this old, but Stirtz broke out the moment he was on a D-I college basketball team.

This season, he’s been absurdly efficient, averaging 20/3/5 on 49/38/85 splits on an Iowa team that is a slog offensively. I think, bare minimum, Stirtz will be a backup point guard, with the potential to be much more.

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Tier 5: First-Round Grades

These are the players that I think are worthy of being selected in the first round in most draft classes.

21 - Amari Allen - F - Alabama

22 - Ebuka Okorie - G - Stanford

23 - Yaxel Lendeborg - F - Michigan

Yaxel Lendeborg is a really good college basketball player, but I’ve got a lot of concerns about his age and NBA projection. Lendeborg will be 24 years old before stepping on an NBA floor for the first time.

And while the age in itself is not an issue (we’ve seen older prospects succeed in the NBA), Lendeborg isn’t really the ready-made role player he’s generally made out to be, in my opinion.

If he’s going to be a power forward, I’m not super confident in the long-range shot. Lendeborg has been inconsistent from outside throughout his college career, and only shot 34% from three on 4.3 attempts per game.

I see more Lendeborg more as a center, he’s versatile defensively and consistently generates both steals and blocks. But ultimately, I’m just not sure how much I value that type of player - especially if he will be entering the league at 24 years old.

I can see the vision, but Lendeborg just isn’t the bet I would make in the top-20 - particularly in this draft.

24 - Thomas Haugh - F - Florida

25 - Maleek Thomas - G - Arkansas

26 - Isaiah Evans - W - Duke

27 - Billy Richmond - W - Arkansas

28 - Tyler Tanner - G - Vanderbilt

I’ve come a bit more around on Tanner. While the size does scare me, I do buy into him being a defensive playmaker for his size, even if he will be targeted defensively due to his size.

29 - Cam Carr - W - Baylor

30 - Patrick Ngongba - B - Duke

Pat Ngongba is a very impactful interior defender when he’s on the floor, but the injuries scare me a bit with him.

31 - Tounde Yessoufou - W - Baylor

32 - Dailyn Swain - W - Texas

33 - Flory Bidunga - B - Kansas

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Tier 6: Second-Round Grades

These are the players that I would deem worthy of second-round picks in an average draft class.

34 - Aday Mara - B - Michigan

35 - Motiejus Krivas - B - Arizona

36 - Joshua Jefferson - F - Iowa State

37 - Henri Veesaar - B - UNC

38 - Dame Sarr - W - Duke

39 - Allen Graves - B - Santa Clara

I’m very intrigued by Allen Graves. He’s been very good when he’s on the floor for Santa Clara (and will test will in analytical models). I think the idea of Graves is probably much better than the actual prospect, in practice.

40 - Neoklis Avdalas - G - Virginia Tech

41 - Milan Momcilovic - F - Iowa State

42 - Maliq Brown - F - Duke

43 - Dash Daniels - W - INTL

44 - Alex Condon - B - Florida

45 - Zuby Ejiofor - F - St. John's

46 - Jaden Bradley - G - Arizona

47 - Tarris Reed - B - UConn

48 - Miles Byrd - W - SD State

49 - Tyler Nickel - W - Vanderbilt

50 - Paul McNeil - G - NC State

My big picture, weekly State of the Hive Address:

I’ve seen this prompt floated around a lot in radio and on national shows; fodder, in general. Not upset about that, in the slightest — it’s an incredibly fair question.

Michael Jordan and his 23XI NASCAR success since departing from the Charlotte Hornets as majority owner is what I’m referring to, of course.

You mean to tell me you guys don’t think about random, unifying, overarching sports-storyline themes throughout the week, too????

Shocker.

It seems to me that the big picture idea people want to believe when they think of Jordan’s quick success in racing is that he just cares more. More than he did about the Hornets, at least.

To be honest with you all, and I’ve done my fair share of Jordan ownership shaming, let’s be clear here; that couldn’t be further from the truth, in my eyes.

His whole issue with the Hornets is that he cared too damn much. People have the whole premise of the question they’re asking backwards.

This whole thought experiment about Jordan grew out of my anticipation for the start of F1.

Most people think American football is the premier team sport. It’s not even close – it’s racing. It may have always been racing. F1, NASCAR, or otherwise. To have an entire team of car engineers, a race engineer (crew chief equivalent), a pit crew, and a singular driver in the driver’s cabin all working in unison is a sight to behold.

It also takes a s*** ton of money, and people who know more than you do about engines, racing, strategies, and what makes a good driver.

Clearly, Jordan accepted incredibly quickly that he wasn’t the savant of NASCAR. That acceptance as an owner in the NBA, or a lack thereof, is what drove his Hornets and Bobcats teams to 0 total playoff series victories with MJ in charge.

Jordan thought that his standing as the best player to ever touch a court meant that he knew best about what would become great on a court, too.

I think immediately to 2015, Frank Kaminsky, and the four draft picks MJ and Charlotte turned down for the No. 9 pick from Boston and Danny Ainge, which became the Wisconsin Power Forward instead.

I’ve started to think that Jordan’s partial involvement in NASCAR in the years before selling the majority of the Hornets’ shares is what led him to give up 1/30 of the Governor’s seats. In my fantasy “People realize their own mistakes” world, at least.

It’s completely probable, though. What I said about racing is true. It’s totally dependent on trusting the people you’ve hired, and that’s the last thing MJ did in his tenure with the Hornets. Maybe his jump into racing made him realize all his flaws as an NBA owner.

After all, you could see it in the Last Dance as he reflected on how people viewed him during the 90’s: with tears in his eyes and an understanding on his face that he wasn’t perfect, but knowing he did what he had to do. Contrary to popular belief, the man behind the image feels emotion.

I like to look back and think that, despite my frustration with the Jordan era, all this success and excitement over the future that Charlotte has now?

Leads back to more than a simple decision to sell the team.

I like to think it goes back to MJ seeing a real race team and eventually telling himself, “Yeah, I haven’t been doing this right. Maybe these fans do deserve better, and I need a new challenge.”

That’s most certainly the dreamer in me.

You can read the final three segments of Owen’s weekly Hornets column here.

The Sermon on the Spectrum (Center)

My big picture, weekly State of the Hive Address:

This was a last-minute idea, but I quickly realized (after I brushed off writing the whole sermon on this too quickly) that there are so many young fans who may not know who Gil McGregor is.

I’d like to change that, at least a little bit, for the ones who don’t. Young, or not.

Gilbert McGregor Sr. was the long-tenured partner of historic Charlotte Hornets’ PBP voice, Steve Martin. That’s what those of you who know of him probably think of him most for.

What you may not know is that Gil was one of the first few African-American men to play basketball for Wake Forest University. He was also part of the first group of students to integrate Hoke County High School in Raeford, North Carolina, as a teenager in the 60’s.

Wake was the first ACC school to award a scholarship to an African American during the integration era and the end of Jim Crow in 1965, to Norwood Todman. A friend of Todman in New York, Brooklyn Tech’s Charlie Davis, would be the second black basketball player at Wake, with Gil being the third. Davis was McGregor’s teammate, and in Gil’s senior year in 1970-1971, Charlie Davis was the first African-American to be named ACC Player of the Year.

Gil was, very literally, a real-time and active member of Atlantic Coast Conference and North Carolina basketball history.

Gil also played at Wake Forest despite receiving offers from John Wooden and UCLA (Where Lew Alcindor was their starting center), Dean Smith and UNC, Norm Sloan and NC State, Lefty Driesell and Maryland (right after his Davidson stint), and more.​

I think my favorite thing about Mr. McGregor from afar, and really, what made me want to briefly write about him, is that when he speaks on this, he is incredibly reluctant to refer to himself as a trailblazer.

How often are we all so quick as humans to want the credit for anything and everything? The first thing Gil will do is tell you that he didn’t go through it alone. He’ll also tell you that there is still so much work to be done today.

An excerpt from Kerry M. King’s profile on Gil in 2024, for the Wake Forest Magazine website:

“I don’t call myself a trailblazer because I was one of the first, but I wasn’t by myself. There were about 20 students who left Upchurch (the all-Black high school) to go to Hoke County High School. I don’t know how many came from Hawkeye (the Native American school). We didn’t have a lot of problems, there weren’t a lot of disruptions or fighting, and not a lot of racial issues that I can recall. I thought that was a good start, and I was part of that start.

“I can recall being on an activity bus going to a game in Dunn (North Carolina) and seeing a billboard on the side of the road with a picture of a klansman on a horse, and the sign says, ‘Welcome to Dunn: Fight integration and Communism.’ Seeing that didn’t make my foul shooting any better, but we gave it to them pretty good that night, and I got my revenge.”

McGregor continued in his same answer to King’s question of why he is reluctant to consider himself a trailblazer:

“Going to Hoke was not part of some movement. My parents and I didn’t go to a church where there were a bunch of people saying, “You have to represent the Black community and go to the white school.” My parents just said, “What would you like to do?”

“In 2017, which was the 50th anniversary of my high school graduation, I was asked to come back and be a part of that ceremony. I didn’t go because I was feeling that things have changed, but not as much as they should have changed. I’m not using the word “token” as it was used back in ’67, but I didn’t want to go back as a representative of how far we’ve come when we haven’t come that far. (In hindsight, he writes, he should have gone. “It’s all right to celebrate past success, but let’s not party too long before we get back to work.)”

Gil Sr. would serve as an academic adviser at Wake after his professional basketball career ended, before spending the rest of his career with the Hornets as a broadcaster.

Mr. McGregor retired in 2012 due to his declining eyesight from Glaucoma. For a long time beforehand, Gil already had vision problems. They dated back decades for him, King says in his WFM article, going back to multiple hits in the face from basketballs, as well as a detached retina injury suffered playing overseas in Italy.

“For a long time, I was a pretty good one-eye basketball player,” Gil told King. “Nobody knew.”

Isn’t that insane to you all? Not in a bad way, of course. I mean simply that, by way of watching Gil on old Hornets broadcasts, you’d never know he’d been dealing with this until he retired in 2012, or if you read his memoir, “The Blind Truth: Lessons from a basketball life.” He speaks with so much joy, and extremely little regret, if any at all.

My stepfather, who may as well just be my dad, has dealt with the early stages of this. It’s a very difficult thing to reconcile with.

My dad got to the same place Gil did, even though he hasn’t lost his sight completely yet: he knows he can’t change the hand he was dealt, and he makes the absolute most of his life still. Whatever that may look like.

Something that most of us struggle with, even with 20/20 vision. It’s a mindset that’s hard to tap into. I can’t recommend his memoir enough to those who love a good sports read and want advice on hardships of MANY shapes and forms, and how to deal with them elegantly.

Just like so many in the old guard and the new guard of Charlotte sports media, Gil spends much of his time nowadays imparting his wisdom to the youth.

He does lots of motivational speaking, and just had a wonderful ceremony thrown for him at Wake Forest earlier this week alongside his son, Gil Jr., who also played basketball at WF. (More below.)

Gil Jr. also covers the Phoenix Suns for PHNX Sports, and ahead of the Hornets/Suns game tomorrow, you guys should absolutely go give your views to Hornets legacy people like him. He’s a great dude.

All this said:

I’m not sure if I went into this with any point to prove or make. I only wanted to share some things from someone I’ve been reading a lot about recently. Well, in retrospect, that is the point of a Sermon, after all, right?

To share a little bit about the legacy of someone whose impact on the Charlotte Hornets, even in his later years, matters deeply.

Steve Martin was incredible, but just like Eric Collins has Dell Curry?

Steve had Gil, and they were an incredible duo.

Lifelong Hornets fans may have seen some bad basketball, but they’ve never once seen a bad broadcaster.

To The Point (Or Die Stinging)

If I don’t get to the point quickly enough here, I succumb to death-by-hornet; I am often left on the floor, full of welts, with no EpiPen in sight:

• With their loss to Miami on Friday night, the Hornets fell to 0-3 against the Heat this year, leaving one game left in the regular-season series. It could get murky at the end of the season in a tiebreaker situation with the Hornets’ divisional foes from way-too-far down south. Sidebar: Have you ever driven all the way to Miami? Going one direction on 95 South for 10 hours straight is hell. That’s just going down the state of Florida. It’s crazy.

• With only 18 games remaining in the season, the Hornets have the 14th-toughest remaining schedule, according to Tankathon. They play Boston, New York, Phoenix, and Sacramento twice, and have one game left against the Spurs, Pistons, Timberwolves, Pacers, Nets, Grizzlies, and Trailblazers. Buckle up, buttercups.

• Charlotte beat Boston so badly that Joe Mazzulla said, “Enough.” Tatum looked great in his first game back for the Celtics, their first game after losing to Charlotte. He was three assists short of a triple-double in just 27 minutes.

• Cool Hornets History note: Gil McGregor Sr., former long-time Charlotte Hornets color commentator alongside play-by-play announcer Steve Martin, was inducted into the Wake Forest basketball Hall of Fame on March 1st. Editor’s note: I wrote this before the Sermon on the Spectrum became about Mr. McGregor. The current Sting Zone was the original sermon, but the whole point was putting a spin on the term ‘fanalyst’, as you’ll read below. I think real-time updates like this are cool in writing. If you don’t – Ice Cube once said the same thing I’d rebuttal with: “If you don’t like how I’m livin’, well…”

• The Hornets, despite their loss to the Heat that ended a six-game win streak, are still carrying a 10-game all-time road winning streak into Phoenix tomorrow.

The Biggest Pain in My Thorax

What’s really bothering my bee-hind this week?:

The dreaded Miami Heat.

Will this pain ever end? The Hornets have been a physical embodiment of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” for 25 years now. You’d think he was a Hornets fan by how bad that ring of fire burned, burned, burned.

They’ve been bothering my bee-hind ever since I witnessed LeBron James stare down Michael Jordan in Game 3 of the 2013-2014 Bobcats/Heat playoff series. Through all the joy that this 2025-2026 Charlotte Hornets team has given those who follow the team…

It figures this is the roadblock that they stumble at. Now, I want to give the Hornets a lot of credit here, too. Friday night’s game at the Spectrum Center was absolutely electric, and the list of Hornets games from this season that will go down as all-timers in this team’s history continues to grow. Even in a loss.

I mentioned this a few weeks ago… but young teams have to lose close games against playoff-experienced players and NBA veteran staffs like the Heat before they can continue to dominate elite teams on a regular basis. It’s a rite of passage for teams filled with youth.

I also mentioned the Hawks in an NBA rivalry rant in this same segment recently. I’m scrapping it.

Direct all your rivalry hatred down way south. Lord knows it has to travel further than if we directed it solely at Atlanta, because no matter how much turmoil the Heat go through, they show up in games like this, year after year.

Just when you think Miami’s down, they turn into your (awfully specific personal metaphor) very overzealous and eager younger brother, who just keeps coming back to the door of your room 20 minutes after you’ve been clear they should go away.

They just keep showing back up when you think they’re finally out.

Erik Spoelstra always has his teams ready for bigger games, especially against less-experienced opponents. Those are the teams, even if talented, that Miami having Spo as the guy in the coaches’ box gives them a virtual sixth man on the court. It allows the Heat to win games sometimes, just like they did last night, where they aren’t considered as ‘talented’, or as ‘hot’ as another team. Spo has done this his whole career.

Credit to Charles Lee for having the stones, and most importantly, the coaching ability to hang with Erik Spoelstra: a no-doubt, sure-fire, hall of fame coach who gave the Hornets his fastball yesterday.

Miami knew how hot Charlotte was. We in the hornetsphere were ALL discussing how important that tiebreaker could be.

There’s no doubt in my mind that’s one of the many reasons we saw Miami’s A+ game yesterday. It was clear from how Miami ran its offense that it had been hard at work prepping for this game.

Kon’s flare/ghost screens weren’t as open as often last night. Brandon Miller had to affect the game differently in the second half after Miami’s adjustments. Miami ALWAYS had a body on Moussa Diabaté. Bam Adebayo was their most important guy all night because of that, and he didn’t even have a great night from the field.

Charlotte only won the battle on the boards by four and had only one more offensive rebound. An uncanny amount of Charlotte’s turnovers down the stretch were self-inflicted, more than they were Miami’s doing – the Heat forced a MASS of difficult shots all night, though.

This game was blow-for-blow all night, and the Hornets didn’t back down, despite the Heat’s preparedness.

Miami may frustrate me to no end; however, they don’t scare me anymore. It’s clear the Hornets (finally) have no fear against their division rival, either.

The proverbial hump wasn’t gotten over against Miami last night – but it’s coming.

Unfortunately, it may not be this year… Like a lot of other historical humps the Hornets have already cleared like Olympic Hurdles.

We can’t have it all in one year. That would take away all the fun of the process along the way.

The Sting Zone (Formerly Known as the Spin Zone)

There’s a reason Madonna said “Girls just want to have fun,” and not “NBA Journalists and Media just want to have fun.” As Hornets fans, we need to help the NBA break the stigma of a ‘fanalyst’:

There were a few things that made me want to write this portion today:

James Plowright’s Buzz Beat+ Substack column on how the fans deserve this current run the Hornets are on, and Russell Westbrook. The former may be easier to explain first.

James was dead on – Charlotte fans have earned this joyous Hornets moment through years of shared suffering. What struck me about James’ article was how he framed his immediate standing within the Hornets world. Not the article itself.

“I’m what you would call a ‘fanalyst’,” James said early in his post. “I cringe every time I hear the word, but fine… it fits.”

My issue has nothing to do with James. Frankly, I’m not even sure if he cringes at the word for the reasons I want to discuss it; namely, because most NBA media frown upon the notion of a ‘fanalyst’ and their untraditional paths.

The word ‘fanalyst’ for James very well could have just had the same effect on him as the word ‘moist’ did on a strangely large number of girls that I went to high school with… I didn’t ask him.

Maybe I should’ve — but I say this to be clear: I’m using his words here to critique them, only because they reminded me of the stigma many folks hold on the word, and it gave me something to write on.

Gosh, you have to be so crystal clear on the internet nowadays. Before I know it, I’m gonna be tagged in a lithouse tweet. Only proper nouns get capitalized, and I don’t think there’s much proper about that operation. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you’re better off for it.

Anyways.

Now, I truly believe that ‘fan analyst’ applies to at least 50% of the current Hornets media. Journalist, or not. In part because, for the longest time, the fans were the only people outside of a few salaried beat writers who covered the Hornets, who cared enough to make this team in Charlotte what they lived and breathed.

Given the history of this Charlotte team since the Bobcats gave the NBA a round 30 teams in 2004-2005, it’s understandable. The team is just not very well understood outside of Charlotte.

See, I think sports need more ‘fanalysts.’ In today’s age, more than ever.

I truly believe Rick Bonnell was as close to the line between beat writer and fan that you could be, which, how could he not have been after covering the team since its inception? Of course, he had his optimistic ways, but he was NEVER afraid to tell the truth when it was time. Rick just did it with a lot of grace.

That loops me back around to Russell Westbrook, who had some very serious words to say to the Sacramento Kings media this past week. Words he’s clearly been thinking about for a while on how some of their media portray things about the team.

Now, it’s important to add: real beat writers have to say things that the teams, or a player, doesn’t like. It’s part of their job. But there’s a reason that after 33 years, Rick Bonnell never had this kind of issue with a player like Sacramento media saw with Russ this past week.

And Rick covered his FAIR share of bad teams, in the same vein as this year’s Kings’ team. He just always approached things with class.

The same kind of classiness I witness from most (Charlotte-specific) ‘fanalyst’ media.

Not to call you all out by name, but I’m about to: Doug Branson. Walker Mehl. Matt Alquiza. Brian Gesigner. Richie Randall. Spencer Percy. David Walker. ‘Nata Edwards. James Plowright. Evan Hale. Dylan Jackson is currently headed up this path, as well, just like I’m trying to do. I feel like I’m FORGETTING people, too.

While each of these people gives their own opinions, sometimes harsh, sometimes not, on the Hornets…

It doesn’t even come close to resembling the overbearing criticism that other markets can see from their media, often for clicks or engagement, ‘fanalyst’ or not. The same kind of baseless criticism stuff that Westbrook was mad at his current media in Sacramento for.

Rick had the same kind of respect for how he did his reporting on the team that most Hornets ‘fanalysts’ also have… because, in a different way?

They respect the organization a ton because of their lifelong attachment to the team, just as much as Rick respected the team because of the duty he felt as a living memory of the Hornets. The way Rick treated people and how this team was covered for so long had bled into the Charlotte media culture well before Rick’s tragic passing in 2021.

I really believe the ‘fanalysts’ of Charlotte set the national precedent for how you are supposed to act when given the opportunity to cross the boundary between being a fan and being a media figure. It’s really hard to make, but there’s a reason you see all of them nitpicking small things sometimes. There’s a reason why.

Once you cross that boundary, you HAVE to catch yourself in the act of being overly biased. Especially in writing, but even more so in reporting. That’s incredibly difficult to do. Bill Simmons made an entire career on just deciding that it’s too hard. Leaned into his Boston fandom instead.

The fans of Charlotte gave back to themselves via their own media, and I think it’s a beautiful thing. Just like the quintessential black sheep… nobody wanted us — our attention, clicks, none of it.

People didn’t care about Charlotte unless it was to stir up rumors about LaMelo Ball, most of the time. That’s changed, and it’s important we honor the shepherds (of the Hornets narrative) who provided content through sub-30-win seasons for… years.

Now that everything is changing, those people and ‘fanalysts’ who endured the awful years of basketball deserve just as much credit as the fans.

That sounds dramatic to say, but it’s true. They say make what you love your job, and you’ll never work a day in your life. Making your escapism-from-the-world passion your job, though, even if you love it, can take the shine from the thing you used to run towards to feel no worries. Now, watching can mean a million worries if your mind goes there. That’s a tough transition, guys.

They were there for the sickos when nobody else cared to be… and now they get to be the figureheads of a Charlotte Hornets basketball team that people are actively looking to learn more about at every turn. They deserve it, and I want to say thank you if nobody else will.

I love it; what can I say? I’m a sucker for a poetic ending.

Rest in Peace, Rick.

Until next week... stay sharp.

- O

Message from the developer:

I’m incredibly excited to be launching the Hornets GM Game. We think it’s really fun and that you’ll love it.

We poured a ton of hours into creating this experience tailored to Charlotte Hornets fans. We are not paywalling this game, but you do have to become a free subscriber in order to access it.

In order to play the game:

1. Subscribe to SportCLT for free.

2. Check the email that you signed up with. The link to the game will be in that welcome email. It should be sent to you within 15 minutes of you subscribing.

3. Enjoy the game!

**NOTE: If you are already a free subscriber, an email was sent to your inbox including the link to the game.

About the game:

• You 🫵 are the new general manager of the Charlotte Hornets. You’re in charge of fielding trade offers, making draft picks, and signing free agents.

• Your job is to put the Hornets in the best position possible for the 2026-27 season.

• Trade offers, free agents, and draft picks are dynamic. You should never have the same play-through twice.

• Media will react to every move you make.

• Track the salary cap to make sure you don’t go over the luxury tax threshold.

• At the end of your decision-making process, you’ll simulate the 2026-27 season to see how you did. You can get fired, make it to various playoff stages, or win the finals (if all things go well).

Some screenshots from the game:

Adrenaline.

The Charlotte Hornets beating the Boston Celtics in the fashion that they did last night had me reacting physically to every basket, steal, dunk, etc.

It was one of the most ethereal basketball games I can remember viewing as someone who has followed the team for as long as I have.

And for good reason: I’ve never seen the Charlotte Hornets win a playoff series.

So for the Hornets to go to Boston on the second-half of a back-to-back (especially knowing the airplane troubles they had the night before), and not only win, but do so in an overwhelming matter - that was special.

It means something to me, man.

This season has been incredible for so many reasons. The turnaround (4-14 at one point), the explosive new rookie (Kon Knueppel), the third-year breakout (Brandon Miller), the new franchise center (Moussa Diabate), and the engine of it all (LaMelo Ball).

That’s Hollywood.

For so long, the Hornets would be in the wrong place at the worst time. They’d draft the worst possible option, lose players (including the franchise GOAT) in free agency, and refuse to try to win on the margins.

And even when they’d show an ounce of promise, there would be something that messed it all up: money woes in the Bobcats era. The salary cap spike in 2016-17. The entire 2022 offseason.

I say all this for one meaning: enjoy the journey. The Hornets are currently playing a brand of basketball that feels “freeing” to many. It’s the type of basketball that gets kids interested in watching the sport consistently. It’s the type of basketball that brings back fans that couldn’t take it anymore after the years of losses compounded.

It’s the type of basketball that renews your love for the game.

I, myself, had begun to grow apathetic towards Charlotte basketball after some time. There’s only so many 20-win seasons you can take before you begin to tune in less, to pay less attention.

Enjoying the journey isn’t just about cherishing the wins, it’s about feeling the roller coaster ride that is a season of professional basketball.

We’ve already seen the lows from this Charlotte team - they started 4-14, faced a ton of injuries early on, and it looked to be yet another lost year for the franchise.

They weathered the storm, and as a result, I think we’ve gotten a season much more rewarding than the average barely-over-0.500 record would suggest.

I was born in 2002. I’ve never known the feeling of watching the Hornets and actually expecting them to win against other competent basketball teams. That’s a special feeling.

There will never be another season like this, whether it’s the beginning of something great, or just a one (half) season wonder.

A closing thought.

There’s a few tweets that have stuck with me after the win against Boston. It’s the reason I’m writing this article right now. It’s the reason I’m pleading you to enjoy the journey.

Ashley Mahoney tweeted this on Wednesday night - and it hit me like a brick wall.

I’m sure many have had a similar thought come across their mind over the past two months. I certainly have.

Nobody knows what this team will accomplish over the next few months, years, or decades. Anything can happen.

Enjoying the journey isn’t about the wins. It’s not about the losses. It’s about finding and feeling community in your own manifestation. It’s about feeling the emotion that comes with those wins and losses.

We will be seated for all of it.

And at the end of the day, live for the moments that the journey gives you, not the results. Everything else is extra.

We’re excited to announce that the Hornets General Manager Arcade Game is available to play today.

You can play it by subscribing to SportCLT as a paid subscriber. Free subscribers will be able to access the game on March 6th.

You can play the game by clicking the link below:

Read more

We launched SportCLT about a week ago, and since then, the support has been overwhelming.

To continue this kick-off, we’ll be releasing our (first) game - “The Hornets General Manager Game” - releasing on Friday, March 6th at 12 PM ET.

The game is an arcade simulation based on real players, teams, trade offers, and more. It will be available for FREE to all SportCLT subscribers on March 6th - even if they are not paid subscribers.

There is no paywall after being released to free subscribers.

You just have to subscribe for free to access the game. If you want to play it before then, you have to have a paid subscription.

The game itself is relatively straightforward. How far can you take the Hornets based on your construction of the roster? You’ll receive trade calls, make draft picks, and sign free agents. At the end of your decision-making process, the game will run a simulation to tell you how you did.

This game is designed to be difficult, and we’ll have giveaways on day one based on your results (more details to come here).
As for now, here are a few stills from the game:

Welcome to the first installment of SportCLT’s Mock Draft Monday - written for our fellow draft enthusiasts who obsess over how the Charlotte Hornets tackle the upcoming (and highly-touted) 2026 NBA Draft. We completed a full 30-team mock draft up until the Hornet’s final mock selection (45th overall) as a realistic simulation of what could actually happen come draft night.

As of March 1st, the Hornets are slated to pick 14th (own), 19th (least favorable of ORL/PHX), and 45th (more favorable of GS/DEN), based on seeding prior to the play-in tournament.

With the 14th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets select:

Chris Cenac Jr. - Big - Houston

Cenac, the 6-11 big, brings a skillset that will surely have many NBA front offices drooling. Hailing from New Orleans, Cenac embodies the prototypical modern center; mobile, vertically gifted, and spaces the floor. This season playing for Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars,Cenac averages 7.6 rebounds per contest, and pairs that with a promising 33% 3-point percentage. At a quick glance, the low rate of STOCKS (steals and blocks combined) to fouls might be concerning, but Cenac has spent a lot of the season as a perimeter defender due to the forcefield in Houston known as Mr. Joseph Tugler. Cenac can get up and down the floor very well for a nearly 7-foot big, and pairs that with a solid 240-pound frame. His bounce and strong hands allow him to be a capable lob catcher, and an effective rebounder.

This is a pick that will need some patience (as most freshmen do - we mustn’t compare all youngsters to the meteoric rise of Kon Knueppel), but there is good reason to add a player with this skillset to the team. Head coach Charles Lee has coached on two championship-winning teams, both of which had their own “splash mountain” (Brook Lopez for Milwaukee, Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis for Boston). With the high volume of screen actions Lee uses, having a big body who can back pedal and fire off a three just as smoothly as he slips to the rim on a switch will only be compounded by the playmaking genius of LaMelo Ball. Cenac has concerns of his own, but there’s renewed faith in this new Hornets training staff.

Honorable Selections: Brayden Burries - Arizona, Morez Johnson Jr. - Michigan

With the 19th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets select:

Bennett Stirtz - Guard - Iowa

On the other end of the prospective spectrum, we have Iowa point guard Bennett Stirtz. The Hawkeyes’ star senior has erupted onto the scene during his last two seasons at the NCAA level, averaging 20 points and five assists between his time at Drake and Iowa. Stirtz is effective both on the ball as an initiator or off the ball coming off of a curl screen. He shoots 39% from three on 6.3 attempts per game, primarily on self created looks. There may not be a guard who better mixes processing, downhill scoring, and on-ball shot creation than the 6-4 190-pound Stirtz.

His size helps him on defense, he’s certainly no slouch on that end. His persistent effort, when paired with nearly-unrivaled reaction speed and hand placement makes him a pretty solid defender at the collegiate level. He will likely not be an elite 2-way NBA player, but the Hornets have managed to maintain a defensive rating that (no offense, Charlotte) ranks higher than the roster construction would suggest.

Despite the addition of Coby White, we just couldn’t pass on a chance to bolster the offensive output of an already-highly-powered offense. Stirtz could pair with any of Ball, Knueppel, Miller, White, or James in either an on- or off-ball role, and stay effective.

Honorable Selections: Jayden Quaintance - Kentucky and Isaiah Evans - Duke

With the 45th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets select:

Joseph Tugler - Big - Houston

Jeff Peterson goes back to the well of collegiate teammates in 2026, by adding “JoJo” Tugler in the second round - the front court mate of Houston’s Chris Cenac Jr.

The first two selections in this exercise are predicated on their offensive fit with the Hornets. If you didn’t like that, then I present to you the 6-9 combo big with a 7-6 (yes, really) wingspan. Tugler anchors a Cougar defense with monstrous averages of 5.1 STOCKS per game, an 88.3 DRTG, and a 10.4% block percentage over the last three seasons. His lateral quickness and lightning fast hands make it so he can guard almost any player, anywhere on the court.

He won’t be a score-first player in the NBA, but he puts up 13.8 points a night for Houston this year on 59% from the field, and has managed to get his free throw percentage up to 69% (where he shot <55% at the foul stripe in his prior two seasons). He has trouble with fouling too much, but the potential defensive upside with Tugler is too great to ignore. Fun fact about Tugler too - he’s made a three point shot this season.

Honorable Selections: Billy Richmond III - Arkansas and Andrej Stojakovic - Illinois

The Haul: Chris Cenac Jr. (big, Houston), Bennett Stirtz (guard, Iowa), and Joseph Tugler (big, Houston

This draft class adds upside while also filling some of the gaps we’ve seen from the bugs this season, namely the second unit’s offensive production and Charlotte’s lack of a truly elite front court defensive playmaker.

We imagine a world where Cenac develops the jumpshot enough to allow you to pair him with Moussa Diabate at times, giving Charlotte a frontcourt nearly unmatched when it comes to glass production.

Stirtz keeps the pace pushed on offense, and can give opposing teams another guy to follow around pin screens when Kon is on the bench. With Tugler just set him loose and let havoc occur.

Owen Watterson's free, weekly publication can also be found here.

The Sermon on the Spectrum (Center)

My big picture, weekly State of the Hive Address:

Both of my children are lucky they were born before this current run that the Charlotte Hornets are on.

Definitely stole that one from a viral tweet.

My next dog will take the honor instead. For now, the “who” part of the naming honor is still up for grabs. The Hornets players are competing for something much more important (only to me) than an NBA Championship.

LaMelo Ball has five dogs. Surely he’ll understand the pressure he’s under here.

If we think back on his youth, Ball has never known anything but pressure. He carries himself carefree, and always has. Whether he’ll ever admit it or not, psychology tells us that this is a learned habit. One that grows out of childhood, and from our parents, of course. Like all of us.

Not sure about you guys, but my entire adult life mirrors everything that I wanted to be better than. To be better than the accumulation of bad things that happened to me has forever been my life’s North Star.

It seems to me that Ball has taken a similar approach, in his own way, with his own journey.

Let’s unravel my thinking here for a second.

LaMelo’s father, LaVar Ball, is a well-known figure, to say the least. One who is vocal about everything to the public; a guy like me can only imagine he was vocal and willing to speak his mind in his household, as well. I don’t even mean this in any sort of verbal abuse accusation, either.

I just mean that LaVar is a loud, confident, honest (of what he believes, at least; you aren’t beating MJ one-on-one, brother), and opinionated person. That’s him, and he’s never strayed away from it or been misleading about it. That I can respect, and I’m certain LaMelo Ball does, too.​

Respect doesn’t always equal imitation. For me, with my own Mom, I respected her a lot– there were still a million things I thought could’ve been different, like everyone when they’re younger.

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Me, personally? I disagree with that. The sincerest form of flattery that your child could give you, especially, is taking the best of you and using the best to overcome the parts of you they believe could have been better, or different, for the better.

Is LaMelo Ball to the point and honest like LaVar? Absolutely– it’s in his own unique, quiet manner, though. Now I’m answering my own questions. Great. You see why I decided to call this segment a Sermon.

This think tank here has all come out of my wondering what made a child basketball prodigy like LaMelo remain so loyal to a team like Charlotte.

Charles Lee is his third coach. Ball’s second coach (Steve Clifford) was the one fired to hire his first coach (James Borrego). He’s had a singular winning season, record-wise, with the Hornets since being drafted number three overall in 2020. Charlotte was blown out in its only play-in game that season against Indiana.

Despite all the losing in the NBA, Ball has never been anything but outwardly reassuring to the Charlotte media and fans that he loves playing here. Two brief quotes from Ball that summarize most of his past words on the topic of loyalty:

“All that you need to leave this and that– when you build something, it’s never just gonna pop off and be the best thing. You gotta stay there and work it out.”

“You supposed to just go to a team and build from there– I feel like that’s how it should be.”

So, as many times as we’ve seen articles, mock trades, and rumors about Ball returning to his hometown or even a bigger market in general as recently as this season (I’m not letting you forget, Kelly Iko)…

I mean it when I say LaMelo has never given reason to suggest it has any truth behind it. It would be one thing if he hadn’t ever commented on it at all, but he has expressed this same emotion on more than just these two accounts.

When you take into account where he grew up and how LaVar Ball differs from LaMelo’s adult self, as we’ve talked about briefly, it’s not complicated as to why he has potentially been so loyal to Charlotte.

It’s deeper than just building something to me– past Hornets players, even through bad regimes, have always spoken highly of what it was like to live in Charlotte. It’s the complete antithesis of Los Angeles, where LaMelo grew up and went to high school.

I think Ball likes the privacy Charlotte provides him. He told Rod Boone in his recent feature with the Charlotte Observer that he could essentially be comfy anywhere. But the ability the city gives him to live his life, generally speaking, however he wants, without much public interference or media hounding, is 180 degrees from his childhood.

We all tend to drift towards some things in life that are 180 degrees from our childhood. Not everything… but some things.

I’ve thought my whole life that with the right mix of superstar and a decent team, Charlotte could hit on this combo of superstar-tired-of-the-limelight, given the privacy the city offers.

This perk of living in the city was just always overshadowed by the Hornets’ losing for so long. It wasn’t time for their star yet. Charlotte has one now, one that hasn’t just bought into his head coach’s “Hornets DNA”; he’s bought into the city as a whole and the state of North Carolina.

Now that Charlotte has established a legit core, I could really see Ball staying with the Hornets his whole career. This is his second home now. LaMelo saw his father build something with him and his brothers in LA, and I think LaMelo has wanted to build something in his own way, in a different place.

He’s done it by having the patience with the city of Charlotte and the franchise’s struggles his whole career, in a way nobody but Kemba Walker has done.

Ball, I truly believe, has always seen the very specific-to-Charlotte opportunity not just to be an NBA legend, but to finish as one of the best that one of only thirty NBA franchises has ever seen. He has the very real chance to end his career as the undisputed best player in almost every category for the Charlotte Hornets if he sticks around through another full contract.

He’s been patient enough to lay the groundwork for it to happen, and we’re seeing the fruits of it now. Ball deserves all the credit for his patience and loyalty, and that’s what I wanted to have acknowledged most throughout my lobotomy of LaMelo in today’s Sermon.

To The Point (Or Die Stinging)

If I don’t get to the point quickly enough here, I succumb to death-by-hornet– I am often left on the floor, full of welts, with no EpiPen in sight:

• Kon Knueppel didn’t just break Keegan Murray’s 206-made rookie three-pointer record on an average night. He did it while going into Thursday night’s Pacers game still five makes away from tying the record at 206. Knueppel, who averaged 3.4 three-point makes a night going in, finished the Pacers game with eight made shots on 12 attempts beyond the arc. Knueppel finished the Hornets’ 3-0 three-game road trip at 209 total three’s made through 60 games. S I X T Y. Knueppel has started all but one of Charlotte’s 61 games so far this season, now averages 3.5 makes per game from deep, and is on pace to finish the year with 286 made threes after 82 games and shatter Murray’s record.

• On most major betting markets, Knueppel has moved ahead, in a few instances, equal to Cooper Flagg’s odds to win NBA Rookie of the Year.

• The Charlotte Hornets broke their all-time franchise record for consecutive road-game wins against Chicago on Tuesday, to move to eight wins in a row on the road. The win versus Indiana on Thursday extended what is now an active all-time franchise record of nine straight road wins.

• You can now find The Saturday Stinger in an extra place. This week’s publication will be the first to be cross-posted in full to SportCLT’s Substack publication as well. Creator Dylan Jackson was gracious enough to help me put the stinger out to an even wider audience, and he has big plans for that platform. I look forward to seeing how their all-inclusive coverage of Charlotte’s professional sports continues to evolve. Go and support someone who is just as much of a sicko as all of you reading this. Thank you, Dylan, for your kindness and belief.

• The support all of you have given this endeavor so early means the world. This is authentically me, and it’s what readers deserve more of in sports from someone who knows sports but still can’t figure out Databllr. I’m good with words, not math or scatterplots. Clearly. In the words of Kevin Durant, who appears missing from the internet currently: “Who the f**k wants to look at a graph while having a hoops convo?” Show me your graphs still, please. I can’t make them myself.

The Biggest Pain in my Thorax

What’s really bothering my bee-hind this week?:

Pro sports could use a little more of the energy from college athletics. It’d probably be best if they kept the commissioner, players’ association, salary cap, and actual league structure part, though.

I just want the hatred!

I’ve been locked into South Carolina versus Clemson baseball since last night, and no matter the sport, as a native of SC, this rivalry was the birth of my love for sports. There’s something special about it. Everyone cares.

You get your first high school boyfriend/girlfriend, and your parents want to know whether they pull for Clemson or Carolina. The same thing that makes UNC/Duke in college basketball so high-octane and adrenaline-filled.

Imagine a world after 60 Hornets’ games that I can’t think of about ten things right off the top of my head that are vehemently pissing me off. Here we are. It is complete bliss.

Despite the invention by the NBA of the BBQ Pig Trophy, given to the victor of each Hornets/Hawks game, it still feels like we’re not taking this rivalry seriously enough.

For context, of what my biggest pain is, and how seriously I want you all and the NBA to take this rivalry:

I’m a big-time New York Yankees fan purely out of disdain for Atlanta sports, as a lifelong Charlotte sports follower. How could I follow one singular team from the city whose other teams I despise entirely? Up to and including the University of Georgia up the road in Athens?

I couldn’t. I wasn’t able to bear it despite the ever-present Braves’ script A logo I see all the time, everywhere I go in South Carolina.

This has only furthered my pointless and purely personal vendetta against the city of Atlanta.

The pig trophy has leveled it up a small notch in past years. I think it’s obvious what the NBA can do that’s staring them right in the face to help further potential rivalries like this:

Stop randomizing the NBA Cup Groups.

Make the divisions mean something again and give them some weight by making the NBA Cup Groups the same every year.

It’s the same reason conference rivalries sprouted in college football. The same group of teams every year being your barrier to entry for more than just an extra win on your regular season record, but for NBA Cup advancement to the knockouts, imitates that same ‘conference foe’ feeling.

I don’t feel as if we have gotten that from NBA divisional opponents in a long time. The NBA’s most storied rivalry is between teams that aren’t even in the same conference, much less the same division. Adam Silver is getting tons of resentment for his focus on tanking, and this is the kind of small “It’s staring you in the face” moves that could reignite some fan excitement. Or overall, just any nice words spoken about him.

It’s familiar to the division-style format the NFL uses, but it’s different enough to be uniquely the NBA, because the NBA Cup, aside from soccer, is special to The Association.

Oh, how this would ignite the spark. For more than just the Hornets and Hawks.

So, Charlotteans: I call you to further your level of spite for the Hawks, and ramp up your glee when the Hornets take over the BBQ Pig Trophy (as they have twice in a row).

But, simultaneously, thank you, Atlanta:

For saving my butt on posting a way-too-controversial and emotionally driven segment that got scrapped, and that you’ll never see. Ha! Restraint!

I don’t say “thank you” and “Atlanta” in the same sentence very often. Now I’ve done it twice, just to prove to you how important my thank-you really is.

You may never get it from me again, Hawks fans. Hopefully, you won’t ever get the BBQ Pig Trophy back from inside the walls of The Spectrum Center, either.

Not anytime soon, at least.

Just help make rivalries feel important again. It’s what makes sports special.

Even if it comes at the expense of hatred for a city you really have no business having any beef with.

The Sting Zone (Formerly Known as the Spin Zone)

Charlotte isn’t just having a feel-good year; they’ve opened a championship window:

I’ve been the first one to say the Charlotte Hornets should avoid a 40+ million dollar near-max extension for Brandon Miller this summer, but today’s Sting Zone runs deeper than that.

I want to spin an already happy narrative into something that’s staring us all in the face, but it seems the Hornetsphere is afraid to say out loud.

Miller is certainly making that contract topic the elephant in the room, though, before I get there. The “Address Me” GIF is essentially what Miller’s box score says to me after every game.

Despite his more frequent offensive outbursts of late, my argument to avoid paying Miller the max, up to this point, has come down to one main thing, and the rest branches off of that central idea:

If the Hornets fluff this contract, especially considering they have one of their starters (Moussa Diabaté) on one of the best value deals in the NBA at the moment, it could immediately close what appears to be a small championship window that’s opened.

To some of you, the end of that sentence was absurd. But this is real. I don’t even distinctly mean this season, I mean the next few seasons.

It’s not just Diabaté. Kon Knueppel still has three more seasons on a rookie-scale contract that Charlotte has full control over. Miller still has one more rookie year on the books before potential extension money would kick in. LaMelo Ball is the only player under the maximum salary right now.

The only ‘bad’ contract on the team is Tre Mann, whose two years, $16 million remaining after the 2025-2026 season won’t be as difficult to move off of as some may think. Too many teams are in a draft pick shortage right now to pass up even a lower-tier first-rounder and some seconds. Even if it means Mann is attached.

Miles Bridges’ contract also expires after the 2026-2027 season; he’ll likely be back. Maybe even for less money per season than he’s on now (27M AAV, ~28M ‘26-’27)...

Rod Boone mentioned a potential Bridges return as a small nugget in his recent ‘Ask Me Anything’ segment on the R/CharlotteHornets Reddit.

Boone also seemed 100% firm in the idea that Miller would be ‘locked in’ for what it’s worth:

Beat writers of Rod’s caliber and stature don’t just say things like that will-nilly. Everything is calculated.

That’s the best-case scenario for paying Brandon Miller, if the extension is closer to the max than preferred; hopefully, they can do more than just get Miles back in 2027.

If they can get him back on a deal that’s affordable, less than he’s making now, even– it opens up your cap for more Miller money in the coming years.

This is how they can keep their window open and navigable, while the cap sheet stays at a reasonable number:

Sign Brandon Miller to money that may not quite be max, but enough to make him feel valued, and go out and make a trade with Tre Mann + picks and sign a few quality free agents. Re-sign Bridges in 2027 to a team-friendly deal, hopefully after they’ve seen a playoff appearance or two.

It’s also completely plausible for Bridges to accept a deal like this from Charlotte in the summer of 2027, given how close he is with LaMelo Ball. On and off the court, like Rod Boone alluded to. If there’s anywhere Bridges’ value is highest, it’s next to his best friend.

The foundation is there, but things start getting tight after this Miller extension, if it happens. If they can’t bring Miles back on a team-friendly deal in 2027 and he remains right under 30M/year right as Brandon’s big money kicks in, this current core of 2025-2026 is very close to being locked in as the Hornets would start toying with the cap aprons.

That’s the primary reason I’ve been so focused on Miller’s potential money… the future. That’s on me, and it’s most definitely not a total reflection of how I feel about Brandon. Nuance is hard on the internet.

Maybe I should be less worried about going deep into the cap in future years, and appreciating what Brandon is actively giving this Hornets team:

The only guy who has consistently shown they can get a tough bucket when LaMelo’s shooting is off– Kon/Miles are all struggling from deep, and a bad offense is starting to render Diabaté’s glass dominance irrelevant.

A mid-range fadeaway. Good footwork on the low block. A dunk that swings the momentum back.

It truly is Brandon Miller. I have to give him his flowers there amidst all my concerns. My main concern has always been sustained relevance…

It’s the part of me that sees what’s here and available for the Hornets to grow in the future. I want more than just a playoff appearance or one series win, though.

I know how finite and almost lucky your chances have to be to assemble a team that’s capable of winning an NBA Title. As much as I’m excited about the future, a lot of my contract worries come down to fear. Fear of Charlotte screwing it up again.

I remember how bad the Nic Batum max-contract swing strapped the Hornets down in Kemba’s best years. Lord knows I think way more highly of Brandon than Batum’s tenure, but that wound still feels fresh, and that’s the easiest, ultra-negative devil’s advocate, situational comparison.

If they pay Brandon an increasing +8% that starts at, say, 38 Million a year. Lower than the possible 45 Million +8% each year, that’s fully available. Where do we land in three years if Miller never makes an All-Star team, and now it’s time to pay Knueppel via extension, too, and you can’t move off of Miller’s deal for something that keeps you competitive?

Decisions would have to be made. So much can happen in between then, I’m aware of that, but Knueppel’s extension time in a few years could be the first time we see how Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall feel about going into the aprons for winning’s sake. Just a thought, and most definitely all hypothetical, if that’s not abundantly clear.

Richie Randall of the Buzz Beat pod laid out what a full-on max extension for Miller could look like a few weeks ago. That is linked here.

I just want what is best for the Hornets. In every way. That’s led me to worry about all the wrong things, and I’m capable of admitting that.

That doesn’t mean the max contract extension is something we should write off as a must, as a potential window may have opened for the first time since the Bobcats’ creation.

I feel like Jesse in Toy Story 2 after meeting Woody for the first time.

This isn’t about not wanting to give Brandon his money.

It’s about not wanting to go back in the dark. Back in the ‘losing’ box because a bad contract puts us there, just like Woody leaving would have left Jesse back in storage.

She wasn’t really mad at Woody wanting to go home. I’m not mad at the idea of Brandon getting a lot of money.

I just don’t want to go back into the dark.

Predictions (Who Likes Puns, Anyway?)

Thoughts on the upcoming week:

I am going to discontinue this segment moving forward.

This newsletter tends to run long anyway, and you all can get predictions, up to and including my own still, at places like Hornets On SI.

If any of you feel so strongly about my discontinuation that you need to say something, my DMs are always open on Twitter at @0wenwatterson. I went 4-0 last week, so if you want my genie magic further, I’ll hear your plea.

Thank you all for understanding. The worst part is losing the only segment not built on a pun. Then again, maybe that’s actually the best part. We’re hive-minded through and through now.

Until next week… stay sharp.

- O

When Kon Knueppel was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the fourth pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, most viewed the pick as a safe, reliable selection. Knueppel was viewed as a high-level play finisher and connective piece coming out of Duke, but was deemed to have a lower ceiling by many due to concerns about his vertical mobility and lack of on-ball creation.

Eight months later, Knueppel is averaging 19.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists with 49/44/89 shooting splits on a team that’s 18-9 since the start of the new year. Not only is he producing on a team that’s winning basketball games, but he’s also a key reason as to why the Hornets are winning.

In the last 12 games in particular, Knueppel has taken things to another level, averaging 22.8 points on 51% from three.

Naturally, that means Knueppel finds himself in the heat of the Rookie of the Year race.

As all of this has been going on, I’ve had one question in the back of my mind:

What exactly is Kon Knueppel’s ceiling?

If this is the starting point, I really struggle to see what the ceiling could be without getting irrational. Especially given my pre-conceived notion of Knueppel’s ceiling throughout the draft process: low ceiling, high floor player.

And honestly, writing about questions like these is why I started SportCLT.

This was my draft night take:

You can really hear my muted enthusiasm - I was all in on Tre Johnson with the #4 overall pick (and he will still be good).

For Knueppel, part of my struggles to evaluate his ceiling come from him stylistically being different than any player I can remember.

Obviously, Knueppel is an elite-level shooter. But it’s not like he’s a “zero” handling the ball, scoring inside, or defending either. He was never “just” a shooter.

I never liked the obligatory Klay Thompson comparisons because of that - the only similarities those players share are a willingness to move off-ball and, of course, the shooting.

I don’t necessarily think Knueppel’s ceiling is just “peak Klay Thompson” - even if they do share some similarities. Kneuppel is averaging more assists and more rebounds than Thompson’s career bests (2.9 for assists, 4.1 for rebounds). He’s just a much more versatile offensive player than Thompson was (but also a much worse defender than the All-Defender Thompson was either).

Other modern players I’ve seen compared to Knueppel include: Ray Allen, Devin Booker, Khris Middleton, and, of course: Gordon Hayward, TJ McConnell and Joe Ingles.

My favorite historical comparison, though, is Paul Pierce. Look at their rookie year similarities:

And while Knueppel and Pierce are similar in their volume statistics and overall efficiency throughout their rookie seasons, their shot diets are still wildly different (with Knueppel taking most of his shots from the 3-point line while Pierce was much more comfortable inside the arc).

I’ll put it as simple as this: There is no one-to-one comparison for Knueppel’s game, which is why I (as well as many others) have such a hard time figuring out what his ceiling could be.

And so because of that reality, we’re going to have to do some projecting.

Projecting Kon Knueppel’s Ceiling

Let’s start with the obvious: If Kon Knueppel is the exact player he is today for the next 7-10 years, then he will have been a home run of a draft selection by the Hornets front office.

But it’s only because of the promise that he’s showing currently that there is a belief that he can get even better. And in projecting his ceiling, two main thoughts come to mind.

1. The main belief on Kon Knueppel’s pre-draft profile was that his ceiling was somewhat capped. And it’s a fair thought. Most players in the “not-super-athletic-40%-3-point-shooter” archetype don’t have other skills that keep them on the floor.

2. I also think Knueppel has shown enough in other areas of his game for that not to be the case. Yeah, Knueppel has otherworldly efficiency this season, but there’s a lot that he can still improve on.

On-Ball Self Creation

I think the area of Kon Knueppel’s game that could improve the “most” is his self-creation. As of February 26th, 93% of Kon’s 3-point FGs have been assisted. 58% of his 2P FGs have been assisted.

LaMelo Ball, by comparison, is assisted on 65% of his 3P FGs and 21% of his 2P FGs. For Brandon Miller, those figures are 83% on 3P FGs and 46% on 2P FGs.

So while Knueppel is having this amazing season from an efficiency standpoint, he is still highly reliant on his teammates to generate open looks for him.

That’s not to say that he’s incapable of growing as an on-ball creator - he’s simply taken advantage of the looks given to him.

There are many flashes of him putting the ball on the floor and finding a shot:

And what’s so promising here is Kon Knueppel’s processing ability. He’s arguably the best overall decision-maker on the Hornets roster right now. Knueppel almost never takes a bad shot. If more consistent on-ball creation does eventually come, it’s probably not at the expense of that level of decision-making (although his splits do probably decrease in that event).

In some of these flashes, you’re able to see Knueppel manipulate defenders with his strength and eyes. He can get someone in the air before maneuvering his shot around them; he can create space off of two feet.

All of these traits already give him a foundation to grow on the ball.

Kon’s ball-handling isn’t something that can’t improve either. While it’s not the tightest handle, it’s also not inconceivable that it grows to become one of his better traits. He consistently brings the ball up the court for the Hornets, often initiating the offense.

Playmaking

One could describe Kon Knueppel’s current playmaking skillset as “connective tissue.” He’s an elite decision-maker and someone who constantly keeps the ball moving.

It’s a lot of plays like this: Kon Knueppel finds open space in the defense, attacks it, feels Oubre help too much, and hits the open shooter. There are examples of him doing this every single game.

It’s really hard to find possessions where Kon Knueppel is a pick-and-roll ball-handler. But according to NBA.com’s advanced analytics, Knueppel is in the 85th percentile as a pick-and-roll ball-handler on 2.8 possessions per game (156 total possessions).

Again, I don’t think that’s something that scales with volume, but he’s responsible for more points per possession in that role than any other Hornets player.

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Defense

I think Kon Knueppel is strong enough not to be consistently targeted on defense. He’s had games that he’s targeted, and he’s had games where he performed quite well on the defensive end.

But I don’t ever think Kon Knueppel will be viewed as the “weak link” on this particular Hornets team.

There are real instances when his strength is a legitimate factor in shutting off drives from guards and wings.

There are also many possessions where Kon’s defense is a legitimate issue. It’s easier for him to get shaken by shifter guards:

I think the answer defensively lies somewhere in between. Knueppel probably is close to the defender he will be throughout his career: not someone that will be targeted, but also not someone that will generate consistent turnovers or stick to opposing teams’ best players.

There is a lot of room to grow.

I don’t think Kon Knueppel is close to what he can be at his peak. There is plenty of room to grow into being an All-NBA caliber player, particularly if his handle and on-ball creation see work in the future years. Typically, that’s an area that young players are more prone to develop into.

I’m not saying Knueppel is necessarily destined to become a top-15 player, but I do think he is on an All-Star trajectory as things stand. It’s incredibly difficult to bet against a player who is this good as a rookie.

And even if Knueppel doesn’t improve much? He’s still, at this point, probably a top-50 player in the NBA. He’s worth a whole lot as it stands.

The original aim of this piece was to predict what Kon Knueppel’s “ceiling” was, and I still don’t feel comfortable doing that. I genuinely have no idea how good he can become. I don’t want to put a limit on it, either.

Increasingly often, we’ve seen players with “low ceiling” tags attached (at least compared to most players selected in their draft range) blow by those expectations. Luka Doncic, Franz Wagner, Derrick White, and Jalen Brunson were all billed as having comparatively low ceilings.

Hell, even Hornets franchise GOAT Kemba Walker was perceived as having a low ceiling.

With all of that said:

I really do think that Kon Knueppel has the potential to become a franchise-altering player.

The Charlotte Hornets have been, without a doubt, one of the most impressive teams in the NBA since the turn of the new year. Since January 1st, the Hornets are 15-9 with one of the best net ratings in the league.

It has been a complete turnaround for a team that’s been towards the bottom of the NBA standings each of the past three seasons.

That begs the question, how?

There are many reasons the Hornets are suddenly ‘good’ now, most of which you probably already know. What I aim to do with this article is articulate the system that head coach Charles Lee has employed, why it’s effective, and how Jeff Peterson has gone about constructing the roster with players that fit Lee’s vision.

We’ll start with some background.

New Front Office Direction

Since Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall took over ownership of the Charlotte Hornets, they have completely overhauled the team's analytical approach.

Prior to 2023, it wasn’t exactly a secret that analytics weren’t a guiding factor in decision-making. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, per se, but more so that it was one of many ancillary pieces of information that was considered.

But specifically since lead decision-maker Jeff Peterson took over the front office braintrust, analytics have come to the forefront.

Even going back to the 2024 draft, there were reports of Charlotte being interested in Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard, who reportedly was ranked #1 in several teams’ analytical models before the draft.

In fact, in the buildup to the same draft, the Hornets made an under-the-radar hire. The team created a new front office role: hiring Patrick Harrel as Vice President of Basketball Insights & Analysis.

So while the team may not have gotten Sheppard in 2024, they certainly hit on their first-round pick in 2025 with Kon Knueppel.

According to a document from Invisible Technologies, Harrel directly credits an “AI draft strategy” for helping guide the team to select Knueppel.

“The commercial impact was almost immediate, says Patrick Harrel, VP of Basketball Insights & Analysis at the Charlotte Hornets. ‘Within weeks, Invisible provided us with an AI draft strategy that gifted us Kon Knueppel, the #4 overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2025 NBA draft. He was named MVP of the NBA Summer League Championship game after leading the Hornets to victory. He scored 21 points in the final game, helping the Hornets defeat the Sacramento Kings. This win also marked the Hornets’ first-ever trophy and Summer League championship.’”

Update: Invisible Technologies updated the document following the publication of this article. The updated quote reads as follows:

Invisible’s computer vision models provided high-quality data that played a key role in validating our 2025 draft analysis. The insights we gained proved incredibly valuable to our decision-making and we are excited to continue to work together.”

So what does this mean?

The Hornets internally favor certain statistical (and biometric) profiles over others, which is part of the reason they have seen much more success as of late. Let’s get into those traits.

Three Point Rate

Above all else, the Hornets simply attempt more 3-pointers than their opponents. The Hornets attempt 41.6 3-pointers per game. That’s the fourth most in the NBA, only trailing behind the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Portland Trail Blazers.

And despite being behind those teams in 3PR, Charlotte is actually more efficient on the shots they do take. Currently, the Hornets are the only team in the NBA to be both top-5 in 3PA and 3-point percentage.

That, as displayed when talking about the player acquisition strategy employed by Peterson and the front office staff, is no accident.

All of this is before Coby White, who averages 37% from three on 6.4 attempts per game throughout his career, has played a minute for the team. Jeff Peterson has already stated how White was a long-term acquisition - again, not exactly a marriage of convenience.

And considering where Liam McNeeley, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Sion James thrived in the college game, this looks much more like a deliberate offensive effort to prioritize 3-point looks.

And if you have the shooters, it just mathematically makes sense to do so. As of the date that I’m writing this, each of LaMelo Ball (9.4), Brandon Miller (8.3), Kon Knueppel (8.0), and Coby White (7.2) are among the NBA’s top-20 players in 3-pointers attempted per game.

Here’s the catch, though. The Hornets aren’t just blindly lobbing 3-pointers at the rim. They’re consistently generating good looks. Per NBA.com, 43.4% of all the shots Charlotte takes are either “open” or “very open” 3-point attempts (basically 4+ feet of space or more). That’s… quite a lot.

But even then, if the shot isn’t falling, how do you maximize your chances of winning?

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Offensive Rebounding

The other clear edge the Charlotte Hornets have over their opponents is their ability to simply grab more rebounds, particularly on the offensive end.

Over the last 15 games, the Hornets have the most offensive rebounds in the NBA per 100 possessions (14.6). This, as you probably already know, is in large part due to the impact of Moussa Diabate and Ryan Kalkbrenner.

And while those two have been particularly good, there are currently seven total Hornets players averaging 1.0 offensive rebounds or more, with Diabate leading the charge at 3.7 (this is the fifth-best mark in the league).

The Hornets’ offensive rebounding strategy is a particularly unique one, relying on tip-outs rather than outright boards.

Here’s a clip showing exactly what I mean. Brandon Miller misses a free throw, but Ryan Kalkbrenner, despite not being in the best position to grab the board, uses his length to tip it to where only Grant Williams can gain possession. He swings it back to Miller, who relocated and got a clean look.

Here’s another example. Ball misses a 3-pointer, but the defense crashes inward, the ball is once again tipped out by Kalkbrenner, and Ball gets another open look.

The Math

The Hornets have two priorities that feel simple but make all the difference when you have the talent to actually execute the scheme: possessions and points per possession.

If you hit more 3-pointers at a higher percentage than your opponent, you’re likely to win. But the other part of that equation is simply having more opportunities to make shots. The Hornets are 5th in points per possession over the last 15 games. They are 2nd in 3PM/possession and 1st in offensive rebounds/possession.

Put simply, the math works out in the Hornets’ favor most nights.

The Engine

LaMelo Ball has rapidly become one of the most under-appreciated players in the NBA. We went from his name being a part of trade “rumors” in late 2025 to Ball having a genuine and noticeable impact on winning.

There is something to be said about being the only player on the Hornets roster consistently creating looks for others. LaMelo Ball is averaging a career-high 9.5 assists per 36 minutes. His turnovers per 36 minutes are the lowest they’ve been in three seasons. The same can be said about Ball’s fouls per 36 minutes. By and large, we’re seeing LaMelo Ball’s most impactful season since he was an All-Star in 2022.

Moreover, the Hornets’ other two core players’ net rating drops dramatically without Ball on the floor.

Ball + Knueppel:

Ball + Miller:

So while all of these factors have individually contributed to the Hornets’ emergence this season, the combination of everything is a coordinated effort by the front office, coaching staff, and players to create a real, tangible identity that has been missing from Charlotte basketball for a full decade.