Last season, the Charlotte Hornets were pretty dreadful on offense. Things could change for the struggling squad in the 2025-26 campaign, though, as Hornets coach Charles Lee revealed during media day that the team's "offensive system and strategy has been tweaked" in a way that should allow it to play faster.
Frustrating is an understatement to describe how watching Charlotte's offense perform in the 2024-25 season was. It lumbered into scoring just 105.1 points per game, which ranked last among all 30 teams and was significantly less than the league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers' average of 121.9 points per contest.
Some might argue that the reason behind the Hornets' awful offense last year was the injuries they had to endure. After all, none of their six players who averaged double digits in scoring were able to suit up for more than 64 games.
An imbalanced roster could also be to blame. Charlotte had no other reliable playmaker than LaMelo Ball, who suited up in just 47 matches. The star dished out 7.4 assists per game, but no one else had an average better than 3.9 dimes per contest. As a result, the squad recorded just 24.3 assists per game, ranking in the bottom five in that department.
Hornets simply need to play faster
The lack of able and competent players definitely contributed to the Hornets' uninspired offense. Still, playing faster would have opened up more scoring opportunities, especially since they barely had anyone who could initiate their half-court offense. Instead, they registered a pace of 98.2, 23rd among all teams and below the league average.
It was actually surprising to watch Charlotte play that slowly last season, when Lee said prior to the opening of the regular season that he wanted to see his crew pick up the pace. To be fair, he didn't know at the time that his top offensive options, Ball, Brandon Miller, and Tre Mann, would be unavailable on most nights.
It's a breath of fresh air, though, to know that the Hornets have finally granted Lee his wish of having more offensive creators who can push the break or set up the offense at half court. A lot still hinges on Ball showcasing his creativity during fastbreaks and even when things slow down. However, Charlotte is better equipped to handle his possible absence, thanks to the additions of Collin Sexton, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Kon Knueppel and the return of Mann.