Feb 22, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) lays on the court after being fouled during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Looking at the Charlotte Hornets preseason superlatives

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Owen O'Connor | Last updated Sep 25, 2025 10:00 AM ET

With just eleven days to go, the Charlotte Hornets preseason is right around the corner.

They tip off the preseason against the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder in Charleston, South Carolina on October 5th, and only 17 days after that the regular season will begin.

It's been a long, long offseason. With that, it's time to take a look at the potential superlatives that players on the Hornets roster could receive:

Most likely to be posted on SportsCenter's Tik Tok: LaMelo Ball

Year after year, the Hornets star guard continues to be posted on social media for making shots that would be seen in a game of H.O.R.S.E. The 24-year-old has been a staple of major NBA highlight pages such as SportsCenter, House of Highlights, and Overtime, and just doing anything spectacular in the preseason will see him posted all over social media.

Most likely to cause a trade rumor: Nick Smith Jr

Nick Smith Jr has been in trade rumors all off-season, and no matter how he plays this fall, he will find his name in more trade rumors. With the recent injury to Fred VanVleet in Houston, the Rockets could make a play for one of the multiple guards the Hornets have rostered. Smith Jr could see himself playing alongside Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun, regardless of his preseason output.

Biggest Surprise: Drew Peterson

The Hornets signed Drew Peterson to a two-way deal in July, and the wing could turn heads immediately in the preseason. He's a 6'9 forward with a 7'1 wingspan, and can play both on-ball and off-ball on both offense and defense.

Best Rookie: Kon Knueppel

This should not really shock many, but Kon Knueppel will likely appear to be the best rookie on the Hornets right out the gate. He's viewed as the most NBA-ready, and a strong Summer League performance that resulted in an MVP award should easily translate to the NBA.

Most likely to start at center: Moussa Diabate

Moussa Diabate is entering his first full season with a standard NBA contract, and likely will come out the gates as the starting center. The Hornets moved on from the two players in front of him, Mark Williams and Jusuf Nurkic, right as the offseason began. They added two centers in rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner and veteran Mason Plumlee, however, both are as good or worse than Diabate is. The former Wolverine should end up in the starting role for the Buzz this season.