Dec 26, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) shoots the ball as Washington Wizards forward Alexandre Sarr (20) defends in the second quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

NBA Power Rankings: Way-too-early list buries Hornets despite good offseason

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Zach Roberts | Last updated Jul 15, 2025 8:48 AM ET

The Charlotte Hornets are coming off a 19-win season, which is among the worst they've ever had (though decidedly not the worst, unfortunately). They have put in a lot of work to really change things over the offseason, and their roster is pretty different heading into 2025-26.

However, much of what they've done, despite general praise from the NBA world, has been about the future and not the present, so they remain a team coming off a 19-win season without much indication that a huge turnaround is coming.

That's why in CBS Sports' latest power rankings, which are coming extremely early, the Hornets find themselves 27th out of 30 teams. The Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, and Brooklyn Nets were the only teams worse.

Charlotte's ceiling, as usual, depends on the health of LaMelo Ball. No. 4 overall pick Kon Knueppel should provide some much-needed shooting for Ball and Brandon Miller, but Charlotte lost significant vertical spacing by trading away Mark Williams," Collin Ward-Henninger said. "On paper, the Hornets could actually be decent in a wide-open Eastern Conference, but at this point, the basement is a much more realistic destination than the Play-In."

The Hornets made several smart moves this offseason, but a few of them ultimately made them a little weaker, namely the Mark Williams trade. That depleted their center rotation (along with a later Jusuf Nurkic trade), and they only added one center of note, Ryan Kalkbrenner, to the suddenly thin position. Mason Plumlee is back, but that's not much of a move.

Still, the arrow seems to be firmly pointing in the right direction. It just might not result in a really good season despite the East being both weak and wide open this year. In fact, Ward-Henninger believes the top of the lottery is a likely destination for Charlotte after the season comes and goes.