ESPN hands the Charlotte Hornets a shocking grade for the 2024-25 season

After a disastrous 19-63 season, it's surprising to think that the Hornets actually exceeded expectations in some people's eyes.

However, when ESPN’s Kevin Pelton released his regular season grades for all 30 NBA teams, he gave Charlotte a (C-).

While the team’s record may look incredibly rough on paper, Pelton acknowledged its correlation to the team's injury history, particularly LaMelo Ball. 

When Ball was healthy, the Hornets won 34% (16-31) of their games this season. Without their star playmaker, the team's win percentage drops to 8.6% (3-32), which would have been the worst single-season win percentage in NBA history.

According to ESPN, the Hornets came into the 2024-2025 NBA season with an estimated over-under of 30.5 wins. By those standards, Charlotte actually drastically underperformed this season, despite already starting off with a discouraging projection.

With that being said, the team’s inability to stay healthy explains their struggles. 

Charlotte’s injuries were not just limited to Ball. Former No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller was forced to shut his season down due to a wrist injury, while key role player Grant Williams suffered a season-ending knee injury earlier in the year, and Tre Mann sat out much of the year with a back issue.

Heading into the 2025-2026 NBA season, Charlotte will likely be expected to improve upon their record from last season since players like Ball, Miller, and Williams are expected to make a full recovery. Despite the team's record, the end-of-season grade is encouraging and sheds light on how much better the team performs with Ball at the helm.

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