Jan 25, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) reacts after a foul call during the second quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

NBA analyst's Power Rankings are flat-out wrong about Charlotte Hornets

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Zach Roberts | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 10:08 AM ET

Last year, the Charlotte Hornets were the third-worst team in the NBA by record. Were they really that bad, though? It can be argued that a glut of injuries (to LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Mark Williams, and Tre Mann) contributed to that.

Had they been even slightly healthier, they probably would've finished much further away from the worst record in basketball than they did. Either way, the team has enjoyed a stellar offseason, adding talent and resources for the future.

It's hard to imagine anyone considering Charlotte as a worse team than they were last year. The health factor is currently not an issue, and the talent level is higher. So how does one NBA analyst rank them dead last?

NBA analyst ranks Charlotte Hornets dead last in league

The Brooklyn Nets, Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, and New Orleans Pelicans all ranked ahead of the Charlotte Hornets in USA Today analyst Lorenzo Reyes' Power Rankings. It's hard to swallow that ranking.

About the Hornets, he said, "Charlotte looked to add shooting with the addition of Pat Connaughton and the selection of Kon Knueppel in the draft. Still, LaMelo Ball, who is incredibly gifted, should find a way to tweak his style as a high-volume player who relies on increased usage to put up points."

That is all well and good and probably true. Ball will need to alter his playing style now that he has more help, but the simple fact that he has more help now means the Hornets surely aren't the worst team in the NBA. They weren't even the worst last year.

They have an All-Star player in Ball and a Rising Star in Brandon Miller. They just brought in Pat Connaughton and Collin Sexton. They aced the draft, too. All signs point to improvement, and yet, Reyes believes Charlotte has backslid to 30th out of 30 teams.

The other teams might've improved, but they arguably did not improve more than Charlotte did, and certainly not enough to close the gap between a team like the Washington Wizards and a healthy Hornets squad.