Last Updated on May 15, 2026 7:55 pm by Keston Paul | Published: May 15, 2026

There wasn’t much expectation for the Hornets heading into the season. Drafting Kon Knueppel fourth overall was something to look forward to, but no one expected him to kickstart the Hornets into becoming competitors. After finishing last season with a record of 25-57, the Hornets catapulted themselves back into the Play-In for the first time since 2021-22 with a record of 44-38. They caught fire around January 2026, as coach Charles Lee finally found a way to get everyone to buy into the system. With LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller managing to stay healthy, we got a taste of what the Hornets can become if things come together. Things are finally trending in the right direction. Let’s take a look at the resurgence of the Hornets during the 2025-26 season.

How’d It Go?

The season got off to a rocky start for the Hornets. Brandon Miller suffered a left shoulder subluxation during the second game of the season, leading many to wonder if this season was going to be another bust. That injury was the best thing that could’ve happened to the Hornets. Kon Knueppel erupted as a premier part of the Hornets’ core, turning in multiple 20-plus-point performances in Miller’s absence. LaMelo Ball missed a few games during this time period as well, but was able to quickly return to the lineup. By the time Miller returned to action, the Hornets had a 4-12 record to start the season. Fortunately, the worst had already passed them.  

By the time January 2026 hit, the Hornets did something unbelievable. With everyone healthy and the team chemistry established, the Hornets had the No. 1 net rating in the NBA (plus-10.5) for the rest of the season, also leading the league in offensive rating (120.7). Their barrages of 3PT can be quite terrifying, especially since two of their players (Knueppel and Ball) led the entire NBA in made 3PT. The young core went on to finish the remainder of the season with a 40-26 record, truly turning the franchise around. 

The Hornets were able to find themselves in the Play-In once again, taking down the Heat in a nail-biter. They unfortunately fell to the Magic in the game for the No. 8 seed, but a new foundation was successfully established in Charlotte. If their core continues to mature as a unit, they could become one of the scariest teams to face in the NBA. All they have to do is commit to the process.

Coaching

It is safe to say that Hornets have found something special in Charles Lee. He has cemented a foundation for the team, serving well as both a players’ coach and play caller. Things were looking bleak at the beginning of the season, but he stuck to plan and turned this team around. You can find multiple videos of him hyping his players in the locker room and being brutally honest in press conferences. This is exactly what you want from a coach that is looking to develop players as well as win games.

Leading the team with the highest net rating in the NBA since January, Lee found a way to establish dominance on both sides of the ball. The Hornets also had the fifth highest defensive rating during that timeframe (110.2) and led the league in rebounding percentage (54.8%) and 3PT made per game (17.3). Lee deciding to keep Moussa Diabate in the starting lineup definitely contributed to their success on the glass. Lee also opted to take things slow with LaMelo Ball, leading to his healthiest season in the past four years. He seems to know how to get the most out of his players and maximize their skillsets. 

With an extension already signed, it looks like the Hornets have their coach of the future. Lee has a long road ahead of him, but he seems ready for the challenge. He will look to build on this season by locking in a playoff seed next season. The more time the team spends together under his tutelage, the higher chance of success they will have

The Players

LaMelo Ball

PG, Charlotte Hornets

ADP: 27.4 / 32.6 (Yahoo/ESPN) | Total Value: 25/35 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 33/44 (8/9-cat)

LaMelo Ball seems to have turned a new leaf in his career. For the second time in his career, Ball played over 70 games in a season. Coach Charles Lee and the Hornets’ medical staff were adamant on prioritizing his well-being, having Ball come off the bench in back-to-backs (B2Bs) with a minutes limit. It’s quite impressive, as health is usually the sole reason fantasy managers tend to fade Ball in drafts. However, Ball did see a decrease in scoring now that the team drafted a new weapon to utilize. There’s definitely a silver lining here; compromising the stats to have Ball rather healthy is a worthwhile tradeoff. Unfortunately, Ball’s shot diet hasn’t helped his FG%. Those one-legged triples are flashy, but they aren’t necessarily smart shots. 

As the season progressed, Ball started to find his groove once the Hornets started clicking. Over the last two months of the season, Ball was a top-24 player in only 28.6 MPG, averaging  21.4 PTS, 4.9 REB, 6.7 AST, 1.4 STL and 4.3 3PT on 41.7% FG, 92.4% FT. The 3PT should be of no surprise, as Ball finished second in the league in 3PT made for the season. Given his aforementioned shot diet, a boost in triples could stick heading into next year. Crazily enough, there’s a possibility that this was just a one-off healthy season. Ball has plenty of time to tend to his ankles in the offseason, but since the ankle issues have been fairly chronic, the Hornets might keep the minutes limit indefinitely. The Hornets are all in on Ball being their floor general, so he might be worth taking a chance on in fantasy next season. If you can stomach the rough FG% or have a punt-FG build, Ball should be a good target in the early third round. The upside is just hard to pass up on.

Kon Knueppel

SG, Charlotte Hornets

ADP: 142.0 / 138.5 (Yahoo/ESPN) | Total Value: 28/27 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 62/66 (8/9-cat)

There aren’t too many rookies that come into the league and make an enormous impact right away. Kon Knueppel helped the Hornets turn a corner this season. He’s already become quite the threat on the basketball court, becoming a deadly sniper from deep. There were signs of this during his time at Duke, but it’s impressive how fast he was able to figure it out. Knueppel’s elite shooting earned the honor of leading the NBA in total 3PT made for the season. With a high floor already, one must wonder how much further Knueppel can take his development. 

Thankfully, his floor does make him appealing for fantasy. One of the best fliers in this season’s fantasy drafts, Kneuppel made the most of his opportunity when Brandon Miller went down for a period of time. That injury might have expedited Knueppel’s development, giving him the chance to find a groove early in the season. There’s going to be a bit of hype around Knueppel next season, as everyone tends to like the shiny young players in fantasy drafts. The scoring and peripherals could possibly increase, but his lack of defensive stats does affect his overall fantasy game. If you can get lucky and draft Knueppel outside of the top-50, it will mitigate the risk. He may be gone from draft boards way before that.

Brandon Miller

SF, Charlotte Hornets

ADP: 50.7 / 96.6 (Yahoo/ESPN) | Total Value: 52/62 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 52/56 (8/9-cat)

Brandon Miller’s season was a tale of two stories. If you rostered Miller, you couldn’t ask for a worse start, as Miller suffered a shoulder subluxation injury in the second game of the season. Fantasy managers anxiously waited for his return, hoping that this season wouldn’t be a repeat of last year. Luckily, Miller did return and turned in a 65-game campaign with the Hornets. Many hoped that he would be able to elevate his game, but the stats were virtually the same with slight decreases across the board. The shooting did regress back to 43.5% FG, mirroring his rookie season’s numbers. Still, given how the season started, it’s a miracle that Miller finished within the top-70 in totals. 

It’s great to see a bit of consistency from Miller, but he hasn’t been able to improve his game during the offseason. He recently had surgery to repair his left shoulder, which will lead to another shortened offseason. He was great this year, but it often felt at times that Miller couldn’t find the motivation to take over. He is still just a little over 23 years old, so there’s still time to progress. Miller has to find a way to be injury-free to work on his game. There’s definitely upside here with Miller, but it might not be a good idea to draft him too highly next season. He will most likely be fully healthy by the time the next season starts, but the lack of time to develop his game is concerning. Drafting Miller around the top-50 mark is a good place to split the difference

Miles Bridges

SF, Charlotte Hornets

ADP: 60.5 / 58.4 (Yahoo/ESPN) | Total Value: 65/60 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 122/107 (8/9-cat)

This is just a sneak peek of the Season Wrap. The entire roster is covered, as well as the Fantasy Star, Letdown, One to Watch and One Burning Question for this team. You’ll need to have an Ethos 360, All-Sport or NBA FantasyPass membership. Click here to learn more and sign up! Premium Access Required

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Timothy Woodson

Tim has been with the SportEthos team for one year. Residing in California, he graduated from the University of Southern California and fell in love with the weather during the process. A gym addict and competitor in both fighting games and fantasy basketball, Tim spends his time developing his craft and enjoying a nice chocolate chip cookie here and there.

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