{"id":714807,"date":"2026-04-20T20:48:45","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T20:48:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/714807\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T20:48:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T20:48:45","slug":"jeff-peterson-hits-next-steps-lamelos-season-draft-flexibility-whats-missing-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/714807\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeff Peterson Hits Next Steps, LaMelo’s Season, Draft Flexibility, What’s Missing + More"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Charlotte Hornets are now shifting their full attention to the 2026 NBA Draft, free agency, and their development plans for the players who will be on the roster next season. <\/p>\n

Monday morning, Hornets President of Basketball Ops Jeff Peterson spent about half an hour with the media for his end-of-year interview. Here’s everything he said.<\/p>\n

What allowed the in-season turnaround<\/p>\n

\u201cHealth definitely played a part into it. I think this past summer, a lot of the groundwork was laid in terms of the approach and how we do things. Unfortunately, at the beginning of the season, we were hit with injuries, and once they did get healthy, there was a way and a standard that Charles (Lee) and his group had set. That\u2019s one of the things I\u2019m most proud of is this group just sticking with the process. Part of it too is you play more minutes together and synergy builds, chemistry. I think we saw some of that as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not letting the Play-In loss take away from the season<\/p>\n

\u201cFriday hurt. Still hurts, if I\u2019m being transparent. Give credit to Orlando. They had been playing pretty good basketball the past two weeks of the season. At the same time, I knew it hurt in that locker room. I know every player, every staff member is going to take this offseason serious and not that we hadn\u2019t in the past. It was a moment that sucked, quite frankly. At the same time, there\u2019s a lot to be proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Using assets to go all in and make a splash<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll know when the time is right. We can\u2019t skip steps. I\u2019ve seen it too many times, and it ends up not going the way you think it goes in terms of trying to speed things up. We\u2019ve made a ton of progress this season internally, and I\u2019m excited because I know that\u2019s going to continue to happen. But we\u2019ll continue to be strategic, and when the opportunity presents itself, I know we\u2019ll be ready because of the flexibility we have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Desire to bring back Coby White<\/p>\n

\u201cLike I said when we traded for Coby, we envision him as somebody who is going to be with the Hornets for a long time. He embodies what we\u2019re about. On the court, he\u2019s a really good player, but the human being, his approach, his professionalism\u2026he probably hit one of the biggest shots in Hornets history the other night, and it couldn\u2019t have happened to a better human being. Just happy for him and what he\u2019s been able to accomplish in this short amount of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

What it means that this group changed the narrative on the Hornets<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something I\u2019m proud of because it makes my job easier. Whether we\u2019re recruiting free agents or draft workouts, whatever it may be, Charlotte is a place where guys want to come to and play. They respect the staff, respect the team.\u201d<\/p>\n

How the rookie class performed<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t tell you how proud I am of our rookies. All four of them contributed this year at some point. First and foremost, who they are as humans, their approach, they are professional, wanting to work, wanting to learn, wanting to be coached, they are self-motivated. I have no doubt in my mind that they will continue to get better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having two first round picks<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very excited about this draft. If it\u2019s not the deepest, it\u2019s one of the deepest that I\u2019ve ever been a part of. Again, where we are from an asset standpoint, it\u2019s going to allow us to be flexible \u2014 whether that means we bring two players in, consolidate, we\u2019ll have different options that we\u2019ll continue to explore and look at.\u201d<\/p>\n

LaMelo Ball\u2019s season and what\u2019s next for him<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so proud of him, playing 72 games, and it is because of him. He put the work in. Of course, our medical performance staff helped, our coaching staff did a great job, and helped him, but this past summer, he took the next steps. He got uncomfortable, continued to take care of his body, pushed himself. It\u2019s not my accident that he played 72 games. Defensively, I thought his effort on that end of the floor was more intense; it was more sustained. Offensively, there\u2019s not much he can\u2019t do on the offensive end of the court.\u201d<\/p>\n

What this team needs the most<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the thing that immediately jumps out is physicality. And I\u2019m not overreacting to what happened in Orlando. I think it was a theme all year, quite frankly. I think how that gets addressed, first and foremost, is everyone has to look at themselves in the mirror. Players have to stronger and lift more, get more uncomfortable from that standpoint, and I know they will. Physicality is something that I always appreciate.\u201d<\/p>\n

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