Feb 7, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) argues with referee Mousa Dagher (28) on a call during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Charlotte Hornets' biggest fear isn't being injured again

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Zach Roberts | Last updated Sep 15, 2025 10:56 AM ET

The Charlotte Hornets have really not been healthy, at least as it pertains to their best players, in a long time. Every season, it seems, is marred by a major injury to one or more key players. Usually, it's LaMelo Ball, but Mark Williams (traded now) and Brandon Miller have also struggled to stay on the court.

It is natural, then, to assume that health is their biggest fear heading into 2025-26. They've assembled a deeper roster and appear poised to take a competitive step, but if Ball, Miller, and others can't stay on the court, then all that is moot.

But what if that wasn't their biggest fear? In fact, what if it were the opposite? What if they're pretty much fully healthy (as healthy as a team can ever be, at least) and they're just not good? That's far more frightening.

What if the Hornets are healthy and still bad?

There's a bit of hope surrounding the Hornets for the first time in a long while, but it's all centered on the fact that they seem to have the right pieces in place to actually be a competitive basketball team. What if that's not the case?

That was the case in 2024-25. When healthy, the main starting five (LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Josh Green, Miles Bridges, and Mark Williams) was not good. They only got six games together, and they were positive 6.1 in net rating.

But that's still not great. The Hornets had seven five-man lineups that played better in 2024-25 with the same number of games played. For example, the Cleveland Cavaliers' starting five had a net rating of 12.5, so the Hornets' starting five was less than half as effective.

And there's a case to be made that this lineup is, on paper, a little worse. Kon Knueppel for Josh Green sounds like an upgrade, but Knueppel is an unknown as a rookie, and the switch from Mark Williams to insert center here is pretty steep.

Plus, there's no accounting for chemistry. Maybe Ball played well with a legitimate offensive threat at center in Williams, and he won't have that anymore. The biggest fear, therefore, is that all this effort is for naught and all the talent the Hornets have just doesn't mesh, regardless of health.