The Charlotte Hornets didn’t just get to the All‑Star break — they stormed into it, ripping off 10 wins in their last 11 games and establishing themselves as the hottest team in the league. Still, the lack of disciplined playmaking has capped the upside of this team. Beating a division rival without Miles Bridges or Moussa Diabate felt like a statement to that challenge, especially with the team still operating under the weight of the four‑game suspension for those two.
Now sitting at the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference, Charlotte suddenly has a realistic path to clawing up to the fifth or sixth seed. They’re playing connected, confident basketball, and fully bought into Charles Lee’s “Hornets DNA” mentality. But even with all this momentum, this one lingering issue could place a barrier toward a playoff berth.
Shortage of playmakers
The Hornets have become a legitimately potent offensive team, powered by efficient three‑point shooting, reliable work at the free‑throw line, and generation of second chance opportunities through the offensive glass. But when LaMelo Ball isn’t on the floor to orchestrate, that rhythm can disappear. Charlotte simply doesn’t have many true playmakers behind him.
Miles Bridges is a capable passer, and both Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller flash the occasional “wow” pass, but the overall decision‑making still lags behind the team’s talent level. The turnovers tell the full story: the Hornets rank second‑to‑last in turnovers per contest, giving up approximately 16 per game.
After trading away Collin Sexton for Coby White, the hope is that the veteran guard can stabilize the offense and provide some structure when Ball sits. While known for being a dynamic scoring guard, Charles Lee and Jeff Peterson believe White is an "underrated passer", and his career‑best 2.76 assist‑to‑turnover ratio in 2022‑23 backs that up. If White can get back to that level of discipline after the All-Star break (assuming his nagging injury gets put behind him), Charlotte's offense should improve dramatically.
The road ahead
Superior ball movement is one of the key pillars that makes this team so fun to watch. When the ball is zipped around from player to player, it throws the defense into chaos which opens up driving lanes and uncontested shot opportunities. When the Hornets return from the break, the hope is that White emerges fully recovered and ready to contribute.
This team is trending in the right direction, yet they still have a few things to fine-tune. If the Hornets want to continue putting the league on notice and having a better chance at moving up and locking up a higher seed to avoid the play-in altogether, the amount of giveaways per game has to come down.