The Charlotte Hornets are off to another 3-5 start, which is probably not what fans expected, given the fanfare surrounding their offseason moves. It appears they have yet to learn from some of their failings last season, including taking care of the ball.
In the 2024-25 campaign, the Hornets averaged 15.5 turnovers per game, the sixth-worst mark in the entire league. The blunders resulted in opponents scoring 19.5 points per contest off those turnovers.
So far this year, they have become slightly worse, turning the ball over 16.3 times per contest. Interestingly, it seems that other teams have also been somewhat careless, as Charlotte is somehow ranked 19th in this category. Still, giving up 20.5 points per game off turnovers is definitely troubling for a squad that wants to push the pace and presumably start becoming competitive against many other opponents.
Hornets' high-octane offense still needs work
It's tough to pinpoint the root cause of the Hornets' sloppiness on offense. Part of it is the offensive structure laid out by Charles Lee, as the second-year coach has occasionally looked in dire need of help in uncovering the right lineup combinations, having his players create high-quality shots, devising after-timeout plays, and more.
Another reason is the tendency of some key guys, including LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, Collin Sexton, and Tre Mann, to be aggressive at the wrong time and or fail to read what the defense is giving them. For instance, Ball and Sexton have been the major culprits in bad passes, as each of them logged 11 such turnovers in the first seven games of the season.
The front office is also to blame to some extent, as it has not furnished the squad with a reliable backup playmaker. Sexton and Mann have done well manning the point guard spot from time to time, but it is clear that facilitating the offense is far from being their strong suit. KJ Simpson and Sion James are just too inexperienced to take on the heavy load of initiating the Hornets' offense.
Some might argue that they should have stuck with Spencer Dinwiddie instead of waiving him only three months after signing him in the offseason. But while the veteran had been able to keep his average turnover to a respectable rate in the past several seasons, he probably wouldn't have been that much of a game changer on offense for Charlotte, primarily because of his inefficient scoring.
If the franchise wants to become a contender soon, it must find a way to take better care of the rock, especially since its defense also has considerable room for improvement. The last thing it wants is to give opponents easy scoring opportunities off turnovers.