The Charlotte Hornets are 4-9 to start the 2025-26 regular season, not exactly where they want to be after a supposedly dominant offseason. A key reason they aren't performing any better in the standings is their porous defense and failure to clean up their offense.
The Hornets are currently 4-2 whenever they hold their opponents to fewer than 120 points. Those two losses came against the New Orleans Pelicans, where they turned the ball over 20 times, and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday, where they shot just 38.5 percent from the field. In games where they allow the opposing teams to cross the 120-point threshold, they are 0-7.
It has become clear that Charlotte must find ways to prevent the other side from racking up the score. Unfortunately, with the circumstances it is facing now, that may be easier said than done. The roster just does not have enough players capable of locking down opponents, and injuries have disrupted its continuity, communication, and chemistry on the court.
Hornets should help boost their defense through offense
The Hornets' potential to be at least a decent defensive squad is undeniable, though. It has a few youngsters, namely Sion James and Ryan Kalkbrenner, who have already proven capable of anchoring a stout defense but need time to reach their potential. Additionally, Charles Lee was once renowned for his defensive acumen as a coach and has seemed to place a sound infrastructure in Charlotte that simply requires the talent level of the roster to catch up.
While waiting for the defense to inevitably (if things fall into place) level up, the team can address crucial blemishes on the other end of the floor first.
The low-hanging fruit is taking care of the ball. So far, the Hornets have averaged 16.8 turnovers and 21.8 opponent points off turnovers per game, both of which are the 25th-worst in the league. Aside from continuing to commit errant passes, they have also been called for way too many travels, shot-clock violations, and offensive fouls. Another interesting thing of note is that they are the only squad with multiple palming infractions.
Other issues include Lee's rotation decisions and playcalling. Fans have called out his often questionable substitution patterns and decision not to ride the hot hand in favor of perhaps strictly following the minutes allocation he and his coaching staff have established pregame. Also, there have been too many offensive possessions where some players hold the ball for so long or try to go one-on-one, which can take them off their rhythm.
Of course, the Hornets have a lot to work on in putting up much better resistance against their rivals, but even some incremental progress on offense could help bolster a struggling defense.