Charlotte Hornets basketball is back! They are set to take on the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday to open their 2025-26 regular season. Hopes are higher than ever, more so because the injury report looks almost completely clean.
Only Grant Williams and Josh Green have been listed out against the Nets, and even though Charlotte could end up needing both of them, it is fortunate that the team won't be missing more key pieces.
Last year, the Hornets opened the campaign with Mark Williams in street clothes and LaMelo Ball a question mark healthwise. Making matters worse was Brandon Miller injuring his hip in their surprising win over the Houston Rockets.
This time around, all of their starters appear to have gotten a clean bill of health, with Ball and Miller not showing any sign of setbacks in their recovery from the ailments that plagued their 2024-25 campaign. The third starter, Miles Bridges, has exclaimed being in his best physical shape since 2022, three years after he joined the Slam Dunk Contest and two years after bagging the MVP award of the Rising Stars Challenge.
Hornets coach Charles Lee has not yet revealed who will round out the starting lineup. Whatever his decision turns out to be, two of Collin Sexton, Kon Knueppel, Moussa Diabate, and Ryan Kalkbrenner will play a prominent role off the bench. Add to that a recovering Tre Mann, and Charlotte has a very promising core of rotation pieces.
Hornets are not out of the woods yet
Truth be told, Buzz City's roster still looks flawed and inexperienced. Without Grant Williams, the squad looks pretty thin at power forward. Without Green, its already suspect perimeter defense is even weaker. Moreover, Ball and Miller have yet to really take the leap in their ascent toward their respective ceilings.
In their defense, the Hornets are building more for the future. Becoming more competitive than anticipated this season would be a welcome development, but gunning for a playoff appearance in 2026 does not seem to be a priority. Still, it's not hard to imagine Charlotte performing better than how people anticipate after a successful Summer League and an impressive preseason.
Hopefully, getting stung left and right by the injury bug is now a thing of the past for the Hornets. Missing the postseason would not be the worst-case scenario for the franchise. Losing players to ailments would be a more debilitating outcome. It might be better for Hornets fans to brace for the possibility of some cornerstones spending time on the sidelines. As people say, we should expect the best, but prepare for the worst.