It’s a little bit difficult to be a fan of the Charlotte Hornets right now. They’ve been neither good nor healthy. After a great offseason, they enter play Wednesday night at 4-13, one of the worst records in the NBA. The 2-1 start is long gone, and the good vibes are, too.
Still, even though things look bleak, there are a few things we can remember as we pass around the turkey and sides on Thanksgiving.
Kon Knueppel
Kon Knueppel has been everything we could’ve dreamed of and more. He’s been one of the best shooters in the NBA, and he’s done so much more defending and playmaking than expected. He is the Rookie of the Year as of now.
But he’s also been so good that he looks like a franchise cornerstone. He was drafted to be the final fitting for the LaMelo Ball-Brandon Miller core, but he currently looks like the best of the three. There’s chatter, albeit likely foolish, about trading Ball and building around Knueppel, which just shows how good he’s been.
Ryan Kalkbrenner
Nov 15, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA;Charlotte Hornets center Ryan Kalkbrenner (11) shoots during pregame warm ups against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
All that talk about the Hornets not having a center was clearly much ado about nothing. Ryan Kalkbrenner was probably the steal of the NBA draft, going in the second round but being one of the best in the league.
He and Moussa Diabate are a solid rotation down low, but Kalkbrenner has been magnificent. His per-36 numbers are mesmerizing: 13.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, and 1.1 steals. He’s also shooting 80.3% from the field this year.
Charles Lee
It’s a little hard to evaluate Charles Lee even into his second season due to all the moving parts, but I believe he’s something to be thankful for. The pieces of a good system are being put in place. Once the talent arrives, or the talent learns how to stay on the court consistently, we’ll see much better results.
It’s a tiny sample size, but the offense has been fantastic when this team is at full strength. After the first week, they led the NBA in offensive rating, and while the players are good at scoring, the coach is at least partially responsible. He’s not been perfect, but he’s part of the positive change we’re seeing sometimes.
Moussa Diabate
Since the Hornets have historically struggled to entice talent to sign or find it in the draft, they have to figure out how to develop players and find talent on the margins. There’s no better example than Moussa Diabate.
Last year, Diabate would’ve played meaningful minutes on only a couple of other teams, but he really developed. He’s, like Kalkbrenner, been very good at the center spot this year, averaging 10 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 23.2 minutes per game.
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