The Charlotte Hornets will not have a winless preseason after defeating the Dallas Mavericks in their recent matchup. Interestingly, their first win coincided with Collin Sexton's debut in the starting lineup. And by the looks of it, he should hold onto that role once the regular season begins because the energy he brings to the floor could benefit the other starters.
One of the Hornets' vulnerabilities that dates to last season is their tendency to start games slowly. For various reasons, they have kept surrendering big leads in the first quarter. The same scenario occurred in their back-to-back losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder this preseason. While they went on to get routed in the first contest, the Hornets admirably fought back in the rematch to nearly steal the victory from the reigning champion.
Against the Mavs, Charlotte scored 34 in the opening period, secured a three-point margin, and eventually outlasted its opponent 120-116. Of course, it's just the preseason, but the fact that the team went 10-13 in games it finished the first stanza ahead on the scoreboard in the 2024-25 campaign is also evidence of how imperative it is for the Hornets to get down to business early.
Collin Sexton could be a huge catalyst for Hornets as a starter
Starting Sexton would not guarantee they can kick off games strongly. However, they might be able to raise their chances of doing so with the 26-year-old guard flanking LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller at opening tip-off.
Perhaps the most significant advantage of having Sexton on the court is that it gives Charlotte a shotmaker whose energy can be infectious among his fellow starters. He has become known for not taking his foot off the pedal, and that will still likely be the case in his first season at the Hive, especially since he might be looking for a massive payday when he enters free agency next year.
Having him on the floor could also take some of the pressure of initiating the offense off of Ball, who has been charged with sometimes not taking games as seriously as he should. Moreover, it would be interesting to see the star play more off the ball, given his gravity and potential as an efficient 3-point scorer.
Starting Sexton should also provide the Hornets with another player who can attack the rim and break down defenses alongside Ball. It appears Miller cannot help in that area yet, as his handles are not as tight as fans had hoped they would be by now.
Some folks might understandably balk at the notion of seeing Sexton in the starting lineup, though. The downside of such a decision is Charlotte's defense being too porous at the perimeter. Despite his high motor, his instincts as an on-ball and off-ball defender still need refinement.
Imagining opponents catching him and Ball sleeping on backdoor cuts is a pretty scary thought, for sure. Furthermore, Miller has yet to demonstrate his capability to guard bigger wings, which he might need to do if he is going to share the floor with Melo and Sexton.
"Young Bull" may be the Hornets' best option for now, although Kon Knueppel can potentially prove that idea wrong before or during the 2025-26 regular season.