The Charlotte Hornets are hoping to take a step in the right direction during the 2025-26 NBA season. ESPN is not especially hopeful in reference to the Hornets' outlook, however. Charlotte won 19 games during the 2024-25 campaign and finished 14th in the Eastern Conference. ESPN recently published its NBA Summer Forecast and has the Hornets predicted to win 26 games and finish 13th in the conference.
Moving up one place in the standings and adding seven wins is not exactly the most thrilling prediction. However, ESPN's article leaves room for optimism. They are not completely counting the team out in 2025-26.
The ESPN article suggests that both the Hornets and Chicago Bulls have stars entering their primes and young players with bright futures. The article continues by stating that Charlotte and Chicago "could wind up fighting either for a play-in spot or for a spot near the top of the lottery."
An NBA Play-In Tournament push would require a significant increase in victories for Charlotte. With LaMelo Ball leading the way, there is reason to believe Charlotte can reach a new level. The Hornets will need to avoid too much injury trouble of course, but completely counting them out already would be a risky thing to do.
Will the Hornets be able to make an NBA Play-In Tournament push?
The Hornets have been quietly rebuilding their roster over the past few seasons. Injuries have negatively impacted the team's performance, but there is reason to believe in Charlotte. LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel will all play important roles in helping the Hornets take the next step as a franchise.
Ball was limited to just 47 games played this past season. Miller appeared in only 27 games in his second NBA campaign. The secret to reaching the aforementioned next level will be for the stars to stay on the floor. If they can accomplish that feat, then perhaps the play-in tournament will not be out of reach.
The Eastern Conference is not especially deep this season either. Many teams have serious question marks on their rosters.
Meanwhile, teams at the bottom of the conference do not feature the same level of upside as the Hornets. There is a path to Charlotte becoming a postseason contender this year. No, they probably won't make a deep playoff run, but the play-in tournament is a realistic possibility if they can stay healthy.