NBA analyst's ranking of Charlotte Hornets' starting five stings a little

The Charlotte Hornets are expected to make some changes to their starting five this season. Mark Williams is off the roster, and it's very likely that Josh Green is heading to the bench. It should, in theory, raise the overall talent level of the starting five, a unit that hardly ever got to play together in 2024-25.

However, it apparently does not stack up against other NBA teams. Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz ranked the five-man unit 25th in the NBA, which feels low given how much talent is on the roster now.

Charlotte Hornets' lineup might be getting underrated

Mar 21, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) dunks against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Greg Swartz isn't ready to commit to ranking the Hornets' starting five higher, even though it is full of "real talent" on paper. Why? Because of "durability issues" with LaMelo Ball and a lack of a legitimate starting center.

"Ball has averaged just 35 games the past three seasons," he said. " [Kon] Knueppel just turned 20 and is inevitably going to endure some growing pains as a rookie." It's not all that fair to rank based on expected injuries when they are, by their very nature, unexpected.

This is just supposed to be a ranking of the five starters Charlotte will set to start the season, not the most common five-man unit that the team runs in 2025-26, so docking points for Ball's injury history is not exactly fair. The central criticism is a little more founded, though.

"The center position is the true weakness of this unit, with a few uninspiring options Charlotte can turn to," Swartz argued. "[Moussa] Diabate averaged 7.6 points and 10.9 rebounds in his eight starts last season. Rookie second-round pick Ryan Kalkbrenner is at least seasoned following five years at Creighton. Mason Plumlee returns for some veteran insurance."

But those options just aren't all that hopeful. Maybe Diabate is solid, but even then, that's still the lineup's weakest spot. Swartz said that a trade for Jarrett Allen or Nic Claxton would send them much higher.

However, not every lineup has five legitimate studs. Plenty of lineups feature a weak link, so the Hornets having one at center is both not very surprising and not some heinous black mark on the resume. This is a solid starting five, and a 25th-place ranking does not imply that.

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