It's not been the kind of start to the season that Charlotte Hornets fans had been hoping for. This team has struggled to win games and put together high-level offensive stretches without LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller on the floor, and that's precisely the frustration fans thought they might be done with headed into the season.
One of the primary reasons for excitement surrounding this team all summer was the increased roster depth as compared to the last three seasons. The Hornets had routinely found themselves in a difficult position over the course of the last three seasons when injury troubles inevitably reared their ugly heads.
When Miller and especially Ball have been off the floor in recent years, Charlotte's offense has suffered greatly. Guys that were signed to the roster as depth pieces and intended to play only spare minutes throughout the season have repeatedly been called into action to play bigger roles out of necessity, and it's seldom produced winning basketball.
The Hornets' offense is still lagging without LaMelo Ball
That's why it was such a relief when the Hornets finished the summer with what looked like a very deep roster on its hands. And while I still think it's better than what they were working with in 2023 and 2024, this group clearly has some more growing to do.
Charlotte's offensive process is clearly not as streamlined as Charles Lee wants it to be right now. Last Friday's NBA Cup game against the Miami Heat produced some inefficient shooting nights for three of Charlotte's starters: Tre Mann finished 7-for-24, Kon Knueppel 9-for-23, and Miles Bridges 4-for-16.
At the end of the game, those three players took 63 of the Hornets' 97 shot attempts as a team, and averaged a 31.1% shooting mark. Against a stout defensive team like Miami, it's reasonable to leave the offense largely in the hands of your veterans like Miles and Tre as well as top shot-makers like Kon, but the shots have to fall at a higher rate eventually.
That's where this team's biggest area of growth remains for the time being. LaMelo Ball's top-level creation abilities are always going to give this team a big offensive spark whenever he's out there, but this Hornets roster is too talented to continue faltering so heavily without him.