The Charlotte Hornets Are A SNEAKY GOOD Team

The Charlotte Hornets Are A SNEAKY GOOD Team

During the LaMelo Ball era, the Shot Hornets have been very underwhelming. They’ve yet to make the playoffs in those five years, have been in mediocre to even bad defense, and their stars haven’t been all that healthy. However, the 2026 season will definitely be a turning point for them, and they will be one of the funnest teams in basketball. When healthy, they have two of the most electric young stars in the league and LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. Kon Canibble is a cerebral player who will be a great fit alongside them. And they’ve bolstered their back court depth with the additions of Colin Ston and Spencer Denwy. And let’s not forget that they have the most entertaining commentator in the league. Oh my goodness. I won’t promise that the Hornets will be good next season, but they will greatly improve upon the 29th ranked offensive year ago and could be your favorite league pass team. Before we get into that, be sure to leave a like as that makes a massive difference for the channel and be sure to sub for more content like this. One of the main reasons why the Sharp Hornets will be a box office team is the enigma that is LaMelo Ball. It’s utterly insane that we’re entering year six of the ball experience. And his career thus far has been rather uh interesting. He’s unfortunately missed a ton of time due to injury, playing just 231 games across five seasons and hasn’t played that much meaningful basketball. But when he’s on the court, he’s one of the most gifted point guards in the league who plays street ball out there. He’s a 67 point guard with a 610 wingspan who’s one of the most imaginative passers in the league, has the ball on a string, is a pick and roll maestro, and has an immense feel for the game. when he’s playing, it feels rather cartoonish, or as if he’s playing a child’s game, give the effortless flare and confidence he shows out there. And between his snatchbacks or launching bombs off balance or off one leg, you’re in for a treat. LaMelo also famously does a ton of his work out of the pick and roll and off his screens. And this man has the green lights if an opposing guard gets caught up in a ball screen or when a high screen roll is run. However, his greatest gift has to be his playmaking. He can make every pass in the book and has great anticipation to perfectly time his passes to where his teammates are or where they’re projected to be. He can thread the needle and rifle passes across the court. He’s a quick decisionmaker with the ball in his hands and connects well with bigs in the pick and roll. What makes me scratch my head about him though is his outside shooting. He is a three-point threat in transition, can capitalize on kickout opportunities, is a threat as a pull-up shooter with range, and takes a large volume of threes at 11 a game. However, being trigger happy definitely holds him back as he’ll inexplicably launch a absolute bomb early in the shot clock or take even more difficult, ill-advised shots. Second of all, he just needs to stay healthy. On average, he’s played just 42 games a season and has had three straight seasons cut short due to injury. And as we’ve seen time and time again, if one of your top two players misses notable time, it’ll be very difficult for your team to reach their full potential. Moving on to Brandon Miller. This is a player I was completely wrong about out of Alabama, but I’m happy to be wrong. He has a nice handle, footwork, and ability to get separation on jumpers that he uses to get to his spots and hit mid-range and follow jumpers. And he’s also a good isolation scorer. He’s shown the ability to facilitate and score as a pick and roll ball handler. And he is sure to punish bigs in drop coverage. He is adequate at getting to the paint, can be a fearless attacker at the rim, can hit absolute bombs in catch and shoot situations, use athleticism to be a factor in transition as both a finisher and break starter, and can finish through contact. Just like LaMelo, though, he just needs to stay healthy. He played just 27 games this past season, and I pray to God that this is just a one-off thing. Now, we get to my new favorite player on the Hornets, Coniple. Canipple was obviously a part of that 2025 Duke team that boasted the likes of Cooper Flag, Proctor, and Malawatch, but he individually shined as an invaluable part of that team. He averaged 14 points a game on 47% from the field and 41% from three on five attempts a game and was outstanding in the summer league. Coming from a strong basketball lineage, it’s no surprise that he’s a smart player who plays well off of others. He moves well off the ball and really thrived off of offball screens that do ran for him. Is a catch and shoot threats, can attack closeouts, and can put the ball on the floor and finish at the rim. He’s an additional ball handler for you on the floor. And as shown playmaking chops in pick and roll situations and in twoman games with bigs with even more opportunity in the summer league, we saw even more of that playmaking ability and his ability to start the break. Plus, he further demonstrated his constant activity off the ball while hitting contested shots and pull up mid-range jumpers. He averaged 16, five and four in route to the Hornets, winning the summer league title. He can definitely thrive playing next to a playmaker in LaMelo Ball and he’s more than comfortable on the ball than I thought, making me feel that he can be a secondary creator on the floor. Also in that draft, the Hornets dealt Mark Williams to the Suns, got the 29th pick, which was Liam McNeely. He was hampered by his ankle injury that he suffered in his past season at Yukon, and he consequently fell on draft boards. However, just like Canipple, he’s a polished offensive player who thrives off of catch and shoot opportunities and has range. He relocates well off the ball, operates well off of screens with the added ability of finishing through floers and runners, and competes defensively. In the summer league, he showed just what he can do, having a debut of 22 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists, and overall shot 43% from three on seven attempts a game in the summerly. He could be one of the absolute steels of the draft. Moving on to their back court additions, I think Colin Ston and Spencer Denwy can provide a solid veteran presence while also being able to share ball handling duties. People might be unfamiliar with how Sexton has performed over the last two seasons, but he’s averaged 19 points per game and five assists on an ultraefficient 48% from the field, 40% from three on four attempts a game, and 86% from the foul line. Not only does he provide scoring at the guard position, but he can create rim pressure. He can push the pace in transition and he can hit shots off the dribble and in catch and shoot situations. Denwitty provides the team depth at the point guard position. But I’m really interested to see what the rotations look like with LaMelo, Sexton, Canipple, and Denwitty. In the second round, the Hornets drafted Ryan Caulk Brener out of Kraton and Seion James out of Duke. Simply put, Kulk Brener has a massive frame at 72 with a 94 standing reach, who is a good rim protector, a good screen setter, and can finish inside. Other positives about him is that he’s shown some semblance of a post game and has demonstrated an ability at times to hit outside shots, which would be big if he could develop into a stretch five down the line. He doesn’t really have a defensive impact on the perimeter, but as we’ll get to a little bit later, the Hornets need front court depth in the worst way. As for Seion James, he too is an older prospect, but at this point, the Hornets just need guys who can contribute to the program right now. At 65 220, he has good size, is a good defender, and is much improved as an outside shooter over his last two collegiate seasons, shooting 39% on smaller volume in that span. Now, let’s move on to what I don’t like about this Warren squad, and that’s obviously their front court depth. Without Mark Williams, the best options they have at the five are Mason Plumbley, who’s in his 11th stint with the Hornets, Musa Diate, who solid in his own rights, and the affforementioned Caulk Brener, who is just a rookie. Plus, Grant Williams is still out with the torn ACL that he suffered in December. And outside of quality options in Miles Bridges, Josh Green, and of course, Brandon Miller, they’re really relying on the rookies to provide that forward/wing depth. And I still have questions about their defensive potential on the wings. I also don’t trust the Hornets perimeter defense as well. Some of these guys can fight and compete at that end, but it’s not like they have striking rim protectors or point of attack defenders out there that’ll make them notably improve upon their 24th ranked defense of last year. Overall, the Charlotte Hornets are going to be a very fun team next season and could be heading in the right direction under coach Lee. I’m looking forward to see how Canipple and McNeely play off a ball and Miller. Let’s see how that backcourt rotation shakes out. With that being said, let me know your thoughts on the Charlotte Hornets and what your expectations are for them next season. How well do you think that their draft additions of 2025 will impact their success next season? And do you think that LaMelo and Brandon Miller can finally stay healthy together so we can see what this duo is made of? Let me know in the comments section down below. Also guys, be sure to like and subscribe for more content like this. And if you want to find out more about another young team of the NBA, check out my video on the New Orleans Pelicans. It’s a great video. I promise I’m not biased. Or check out the other video that YouTube recommended for you. Have a nice day and see you in the next one.

LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets haven’t been great over the last few seasons. But this upcoming season, they’re going to be one of the most fun teams in the NBA. With Kon Knueppel and Liam McNeeley joining the likes of Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, and others on the roster, expect the Charlotte Hornets to take the next step.