Assessing the Charlotte Hornets' Needs at the 2026 NBA Draft

The Charlotte Hornets nearly made the playoffs in an exciting season, but now is the time build on that success.

Apr 14, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) moves the ball during the second half during the play-in rounds between the Charlotte Hornets and the Miami Heat of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Charlotte Hornets, of all teams, became one of the most talked-about and exciting organizations this NBA season. They came out of nowhere to become one of the league's best units in the second half of the season, finishing 44-38 with a postseason appearance.

The Hornets didn't make it out of the Play-In Tournament, but it was still a year full of hope for the future. Had it not gotten off to a 16-28 start, Charlotte could have avoided those wild-card games and made the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

So now the Hornets enter the offseason, unlikely to significantly alter the roster. However, they still own two first-round picks in the 2026 NBA Draft, with one lottery pick and one at No. 18 overall (via Orlando). Charlotte can build upon the young core of LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller and more. Here are the team's biggest needs ahead of the draft:

Range at the Center Position

Moussa Diabata broke into rebounding stardom this season, and Ryan Kalkbrenner was a legitimate backup center in year one as a pro. However, the power forward and center depth charts were very limited on offense.

One thing those two could not do was stretch the floor. In the late lottery, three-point shooting could be available in the form of Hannes Steinback (Washington) or Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan). At pick No. 18, the best prospects aren't floor-spacing big men, but Charlotte could take a reach on one of Allen Graves (Santa Clara) or Henri Veesaar (North Carolina).

All things considered, the Hornets don't have any glaring weaknesses after finishing the regular season 38-10, but adding range at the power forward/center position would be a nice touch to modernize this offense even more.

Defensive Depth

Charlotte's offense was way more impressive than the defense. While that doesn't mean that the team could stop the ball at a high level, a pure defender would be huge for the rotation. The Hornets have enough offensive creation, which could only lead to depth on the other end.

This would likely come at No. 18, depending on where its lottery pick ends up. In the middle of the first round, Jayden Quaintance (Kentucky), Morez Johnson Jr. (Michigan) and Koa Peat (Arizona) are prospects who don't need to score to be effective. They could be used as pure hustle guys, grabbing rebounds and getting assigned to key scorers on defense.