Mar 14, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) shoots over San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) during the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The three things that absolutely can't happen in 2025-26 for the Hornets

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Ryan Stano | Last updated Aug 4, 2025 11:44 AM ET

The Charlotte Hornets have their eyes set on making the play-in next season, if not the playoffs outright. Now that Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum are out, the Eastern Conference is wide open.

Indiana will likely still make the playoffs, but the Celtics are going to have to work a little harder to get there and not lose any other key pieces (Jaylen Brown) along the way. Charlotte wants to find a way to sneak into a postseason spot and give their young guys some meaningful games to play in.

If the Hornets want to make the playoffs and actually give themselves a chance to win some games, they have to avoid three things.

1. LaMelo Ball cannot get hurt again

The obvious.

It has been a frustrating early part of LaMelo Ball's career. He's clearly an extremely talented player who has an uncanny ability to make passes that a lot of other players can't.

Ball made his first All-Star game back in 2022, and that looked like it was going to be the springboard to bigger and better things for him. Instead, he can't stop getting hurt and missing games.

Over the last three seasons, Ball has played in just 105 out of a possible 246 games. If he is going to be the superstar guard that the Hornets build around, he has to be more available.

Losing Ball for an extended period of time would end any hope they have of making the playoffs. It would also bring up serious questions about his long-term viability as a guy to build around.

2. Brandon Miller can't shoot under 41 percent from the field

Last season wasn't the leap forward that Hornets fans were hoping to see from Brandon Miller, who played in just 27 games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.

Miller shot just 40.3 percent from the field before his season ended, but that simply wasn't good enough. If the Hornets are going to make the playoffs, they need Miller to be more efficient and improve his shot selection. He's one of the few guys they have who can create his own shot, especially from midrange.

3. The Hornets can't leave the center spot untouched

After trying to trade Mark Williams to the Lakers at the deadline, it was clear that they wanted to move on from him as their starting center. His lack of availability was a driving factor in that decision.

The problem is that Charlotte doesn't have any viable starting center waiting in the wings to step into that spot. Mason Plumlee and Moussa Diabate are the two guys they have at center right now, unless Ryan Kalkbrenner stuns in training camp.

Charlotte can't afford to leave that spot alone at the trade deadline. Making a move to grab a center who can play 30 minutes as a starter every night would go a long way.

If they can avoid these catastrophic things, the 2025-26 season might be the first playoff action a lot of these young players see.