Brandon Miller goes to the hoop against the Pistons on Feb. 9. (Photo via Charlotte Hornets)
The Charlotte Hornets had their winning streak snapped on Monday night, stopped just short of matching a franchise-best 10 straight wins in front of a crowd of nearly 20,000 at the Spectrum Center.
The Hornets dropped to 25-29 with the loss to the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons, but I mean it when I say they did not go down without a fight.
Hornets center Moussa Diabate bumped heads with Pistons counterpart Jalen Duren (again, I mean this literally), then things got ugly. Duren shoved Diabate’s face, beginning a melee that led to the ejection of four players, including Miles Bridges, one of the more actively involved players in Monday’s scrum.
The tension continued later into the game, as Hornets head coach Charles Lee was later ejected for rushing out onto the court, having to be held back while contesting a foul call on Grant Williams.
Despite these unfortunate events, the buzz has not all been bad lately at the Spectrum Center as the Charlotte Hornets came into Monday night’s game as one of the hottest teams in the NBA, riding their longest win streak since 1999 and having already surpassed their win totals from the previous two seasons.
As Sports Illustrated pointed out before Monday’s game, the fact that the Hornets became the first team in NBA history to win nine straight without a single point from a player aged 28 or older only points to the potential this young team has.
The Hornets have been the best offensive team in the league as of late, adding to the arsenal last Wednesday when they traded with the Chicago Bulls for North Carolina native and UNC alum Coby White. More on that in a bit.
Following a typical slow start (4-14), the Hornets have been running on all cylinders. They ranked first in the NBA in offensive rating (121.1) in January while ranking sixth in shooting efficiency (1.173). Even their defense has been among the leaders lately, as they have held several opponents under 100 points, including the defending champs from Oklahoma City in an early-January 124-97 thrashing.
When Lee took over last season, his goal was to increase the team’s 3-point shooting profile, following the model that led his Boston Celtics to an NBA championship in 2024.
Charlotte is now third in the league in 3-point attempts and they’re hitting an excellent 37% as a team. Between LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel and Miles Bridges, they’re putting up nearly 32 triples a game, with Knueppel one of the leaders in the league in 3-point shooting percentage at 42.4%.
That has opened up the offense, making the Hornets a tough team to guard, with so many 3-point shooters that you can’t cover all of them on the perimeter. It’s also one of the factors that’s led Knueppel to become a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year in Knueppel.
Is Kon Knueppel the difference for Charlotte this year?
I loved the addition of Knueppel in the 2025 draft and he’s been even better than advertised, winning Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month every month so far this season. Many experts cast him mainly as a shooter with limited athleticism, but he’s been anything but.
At just 20 years old, Knueppel arrived playing like a 10-year veteran. As the season has progressed and teams learn to cover him on the 3-point line, he’s found ways to break down a defense off the dribble, either attacking the basket or finding open teammates for easy shots. He’s a more-than-willing passer — almost too selfless at times.
Knueppel always seems to make the right play and seemingly doesn’t know how to take a bad shot, though Lee disagreed at one recent media session when I made that same observation, insisting, “He takes bad shots.”
Kon Knueppel drives against the Pistons on Feb. 9. (Photo via Charlotte Hornets)
Occasionally, but because he’s always trying to find open teammates, I think he’s rubbed off on the rest of the team. While Ball, Miller and Bridges still get their shots in, they’re starting to pass more often than in the past and that’s a big reason for their offensive success and winning ways in recent weeks.
Knueppel is a winner and he’s teaching this team how to win by playing unselfish basketball. While he’s not the most athletic player on the team, he utilizes what he has to his advantage. Even on defense, where it was thought he would be a liability, he knows how to play angles and keep his body between opponents and the hoop, rarely giving up easy baskets.
Maybe not the best player on the team, but certainly the most valuable thus far.
Ball and Miller are balling, too
They say availability is the best ability and LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller have seen much more court time to this point in the season than the previous two years.
Knueppel’s addition opens the court for Ball to operate and distribute. He’s still taking too many ill-advised shots, in my opinion, but he’s been more in control than in previous seasons. He’s going stronger to the basket and finishing more often. Ball is averaging 19.2 points per game with 7.4 assists.
Ball’s notably been putting more effort in on the other side of the ball lately, perhaps listening to Lee, who has complimented his improvement on D. This is the best I have seen Ball play since he’s been with the Hornets. He’s focusing on playing winning basketball instead of creating highlights, and he appears to be having more fun doing it.
LaMelo Ball sinks one against the Pistons on Feb. 9. (Photo via Charlotte Hornets)
In his third season, Miller leads the team in scoring, averaging 20.4 points, a number that was bolstered by his recent streak of 10 consecutive games scoring more than 20. He’s playing a nice all-around game and has become a critical piece in the starting lineup’s recent success.
Like Ball, Miller still needs to reign himself in at times, but combined with Ball and Knueppel, this trio creates a strong foundation, and more importantly a young one, for Charlotte to build on.
With youth sprinkled throughout, including Ryan Kalkbrenner at center, Sion James playing guard and the seldom-used Liam McNeeley, all of whom were added alongside Knueppel in a wonderful 2025 draft class, the Hornets future looks bright.
That’s not even taking into account 24-year-old Moussa Diabate, who has been a revelation for the Hornets after getting picked up as a two-way player last season. When he starts along with Ball, Miller, Knueppel and Bridges, the Hornets can’t lose. They were 15-1 with that starting five going into Monday night’s game.
Charlotte adds a North Carolina native to the team
In what I considered a surprising move, the Hornets made a trade with the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, the day before the trade deadline, to add former UNC guard Coby White to the roster, trading Collin Sexton and a few second-round draft picks to make it happen. Mike Conley also came over in the deal but has already been released.
Drafted in 2019, White is about to turn 26, and like Sexton, he’s going to be a free agent after the season. He’s averaging 18.6 points along with 4.7 assists a game and is not shy about throwing up 3-pointers. His perimeter percentage is down this year, shooting just under 35% from distance.
Notably, White is taking 7.2 shots from the free-throw line per game, doubling the 3.5 Sexton was putting up.
That said, Sexton was playing effectively for Charlotte, averaging 14.2 points and 3.7 assists in about seven less minutes per game, while shooting a more efficient 39.3% from the 3-point line.
I imagine White will have a similar role to Sexton, coming off the bench to add to the scoring threat, though he will be out resting a calf issue until after this weekend’s All-Star break.
White can be a microwave when he’s hot, and he can back up Ball if he needs time off, but he’s a combo guard rather than a true point guard and his short arm length tends to hurt him on defense.
His ceiling is higher than Sexton, and I think the team is thinking that, when Ball is on the bench, they will still be playing a similar style because White is not as shy shooting 3s as Sexton was.
LaMelo Ball drives against the Pistons on Feb. 9. (Photo via Charlotte Hornets)
Following Wednesday’s trade, the Hornets’ Executive VP of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson said White “loves to compete,” describing him as “a winner” and adding that “he makes it very hard for defenders to guard him.”
“We hope he’s going to be a Hornet for a very long time,” Peterson said.
But will White want to return if he’s not starting? Because he won’t be starting in Charlotte, but that’s a question for another day.
Read more: Hornets Enter 2025-26 Season With Fresh, Hopeful Faces (2025)
The Hornets are all-in with their push to end the longest drought in the NBA without a playoff appearance. The team is a lot of fun to watch and their future is looking up. They have 11 first-round draft picks and 15 second-rounders coming in the next seven years.
Fans are back on board and chants of “Defense, Defense” echo through the Spectrum Center during crunch time.
There are now 28 games left on the schedule after the Detroit brouhaha, so we’ll see if the magic can continue, but it appears there’s a renaissance occurring among Charlotte’s
professional sports teams. With the Panthers and Charlotte FC making their respective playoffs over the last year, the Hornets have their eyes set on completing the trifecta.
Is that a buzz I’m hearing?
