Can the Hornets Beat the Nets to Open Up the 2025-26 NBA Season?

The Charlotte Hornets closed preseason action last night with a 113-108 loss to the New York Knicks, finishing the 2025 NBA Preseason with a 2-3 record. With wins over the Mavericks and Grizzlies, the Hornets showed grit and explosiveness on both sides of the court. Players such as LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges provided excitement with highlight reel plays that Hornets fans are accustomed to. Rookie Kon Knueppel continued his impressive showing throughout the offseason. The Duke sharpshooter showed why the Hornets took him with the fourth overall pick in June’s NBA Draft by displaying his three-point marksmanship and his ability to get other players involved. It will be interesting to watch him in the regular season to see when the Hornets put him on the floor and how many minutes he will get. Now, the team will turn the page towards their regular-season opener against the Brooklyn Nets, as two teams begin the climb to get themselves out of the Eastern Conference basement this season.

Both teams have key players who have performed well throughout their NBA careers so far; it's just that, overall, their teams have not performed well record-wise. The Nets have one of the finest young playmakers in the association in Cam Thomas. The former LSU guard averaged 24 points, three rebounds, and three assists, while shooting 43 percent from the field. One of his biggest strengths is his speed. Thomas is always moving off the ball or with the ball, making him one of the hardest players to guard in the NBA. His teammate, Nic Claxton, is also a player to watch. The former Georgia center is heading into his seventh NBA season and is one of the top young centers in the game. He is relentless on the boards, although last season he saw a dip in his production due to playing through hamstring and back injuries. However, he should be good to go for the 2025 season after recovering in the offseason. One of the newest additions for the Nets in the offseason is 2023 NBA Champion Michael Porter Jr. The former Denver Nugget is bringing a championship pedigree to Brooklyn by being an elite shooter who will help space the floor for other shooters, such as Thomas. Porter is comfortable in the mid-range and will be a focal point on this Nets team. This will be new for the former Missouri Tiger, as he played alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in Denver.

Porter could very well be the difference maker in this game, as both teams are evenly matched at all positions. For the Hornets, the difference maker just might be their defense and their ability to get into transition quickly. In the preseason, there were glimpses of this, and in the regular season, this could very well be an attribute that defines the Hornets' season. This game won’t define any of these teams’ season, but it will be a filler to see what both teams have. The Hornets have playmakers and three-point shooters, but fans will need to see improvements, such as defense. If the Hornets want to win, they are going to have to find a way to slow down Thomas, making the Nets one-dimensional on offense, and control the boards. If the Hornets do that, then they should begin the 2025-26 season 1-0.