Can the Charlotte Hornets Finally Make the Playoffs?

Let’s face it, Hornets fans, players, and everyone in the organization have had a long and frustrating road. TikTok didn’t even exist the last time Charlotte competed in the playoffs, and Kemba Walker was the team’s best player. Several coaches, lottery selections, and maybe next year hope has come and gone since their 2016 playoff appearance, but none of them have worked out. Even the 2021 and 2022 Play-In games seemed much less like actual progress and more like wishful thinking. However, after what’s arguably been one of the busiest offseasons in franchise history, and a championship win in Summer League, there’s finally a reason to believe this season could be different.

This summer, the Hornets made an important decision to change rather than make small adjustments. They drafted four rookies with different skill sets who all fit real needs: Ryan Kalkbrenner gives them size and shot-blocking they have long not had, Sion James adds toughness and defense, Liam McNeeley is smooth and skilled on the wing, and Kon Knueppel can shoot the lights out. Even though winning the Summer League doesn’t guarantee success in the regular season, it does show that these young players are ready to compete from day one. Compared to former years when the team was missing depth, there is now a pool of fresh talent full of youthful guys who are going to give veterans a run for their money for playing time. Charlotte’s roster will be in a much better position if even two of these new guys can make an immediate contribution.

Drafting rookies was not the only move that was made in Charlotte this summer, though. The decisions they made on the trade market and in free agency only made their depth stronger. This team has been in long-term need of a scoring guard with offensive talent, and they found one when they traded for Collin Sexton. Re-signing Mason Plumlee gives them a reliable big man who is already familiar with the area, team, and locker room culture, while adding Spencer Dinwiddie brings consistent talent and postseason experience in the backcourt. Re-signing Tre Mann was also a very smart move, as he played some really quiet, solid minutes this past season and should thrive in a much more consistent role. For the first time in nearly a decade, the Hornets have options, lineups they can mix and match depending on opponents, something fans have been asking for for a long time. 

All of this, of course, depends on whether their stars can remain healthy. It’s no secret that the team operates through point guard LaMelo Ball, who has struggled heavily with injuries the past few seasons. He is the Hornets’ soul; his vision, speed, and style of play make everyone else’s job easier. After a strong rookie season in 2023-2024, Brandon Miller also sat out most of this past season with an injury. This season, he will need to grow even more if he wants a contract extension and for the Hornets to be successful, which he seems more than prepared to do. Miles Bridges has been the only Charlotte star to stay relatively healthy the past few seasons, so they will also need this to continue. The Hornets aren’t just interesting if all three of these players can play more than 65 games this year, they’re dangerous.

Maybe the most underappreciated piece of this whole puzzle is Charles Lee, their head coach, going into his second season with the organization. He comes from winning cultures in Boston and Milwaukee, and has a track record for holding players responsible while building a relationship with them. A young, developing team like Charlotte needs just that kind of leadership. That alone might be worth more than ten victories if he can just get his team to play together and with their best effort offensively, but especially defensively. He now has resources at his fingertips, but he’s also not entering a perfect situation, as the team did go 19-63 in his first season as head coach. The question now is how fast he can put all of their old and new pieces together.

Let’s not pretend this team is ready to knock off New York or Cleveland in a playoff series just yet. However, with an Eastern Conference that is wide open due to a lot of injuries on very good teams, can they finish somewhere between fifth and 10th in the conference? If they stay healthy, can they give themselves a shot at the playoffs or at least the play-in? The answer is absolutely, yes. For the first time in years, there’s a real mix of talent, balance, and belief in the locker room. It’s not just hype; it feels like this group has the potential to back it up. After nearly a decade of waiting, that’s more than enough reason for fans to get excited again.