One thing every Charlotte Hornets starter must improve on in 2025-26

The Charlotte Hornets have not yet set their starting lineup for the season, but there's a good chance we can predict what it will end up being. Three of the five spots are essentially filled already, with two potential wild cards. For all the players who are likely going to start, here's one thing they must do better this year.

LaMelo Ball: Shot Selection

Mar 25, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) drives past Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) during the first half at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images | Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

LaMelo Ball does not need to shoot more than anyone else in the NBA. I get why he did last year, because the Hornets definitely needed those extra shots from Ball rather than Nick Smith Jr., Jusuf Nurkic, Josh Green, and some of the other players the Hornets used. But in 2025-26, he will have better help, so he doesn't need to shoot as much. Therefore, he needs to be more selective. Taking better shots is imperative, even if he's pretty good at making bad ones.

Brandon Miller: Offensive Consistency

Mar 18, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) during pregame warm ups against the Atlanta Hawks at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Brandon Miller appeared to be enjoying a pretty good season before going down, at least from a scoring perspective. Up over 20 points per game, Miller wasn't shooting as well, but the points were being scored. However, his offensive rating was only ninth on the team, which is not ideal for the second-best offensive player. This is due in part to a really slow start and an up-and-down stretch before he got hurt, so he needs to be more consistent to bring the rating up.

Kon Knueppel: Playmaking

Jul 14, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel (7) competes against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half of a NBA basketball game at the Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Either Kon Knueppel or Collin Sexton is going to get that third wing spot for the Hornets. Knueppel is just a rookie, but he does have things he needs to improve on from college to the NBA. The jump shot should be fine, but the former Duke star needs to continue improving his playmaking. He showed glimpses of it in Summer League, but when you're in with Miller and Ball, you may need to make plays for others a lot.

Collin Sexton: Defense

Apr 9, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) warms up before a game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images | Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

If Collin Sexton gets the nod, he will need to improve on his perimeter defense. He had a 117.9 defensive rating last year. For reference, LaMelo Ball had a 116.5 defensive rating, and you really don't want to be a worse defender than Ball. Sexton does bring effort and intensity, but he's going to have to translate that into tangible results on the defensive end if he's going to stay on the court with several other bad defenders.

Miles Bridges: Efficiency

Miles Bridges recently got labeled the most overrated player of the 2020s due in large part to his poor efficiency. His true-shooting percentage is rarely above average, and it wasn't last year. He was the least efficient 20-point qualified scorer in the NBA last season. That cannot be the case when you're the third (and maybe the fourth this season) option on an offense. If you're the first option, you're shooting more, which might mean a lower percentage just due to volume, but that isn't Bridges' situation.

Moussa Diabate: Offensive Aggression

Apr 13, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta (88) fouls Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Because of what Moussa Diabate does well, it's hard to imagine anyone else starting over him. Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kalkbrenner are presently not that exciting, and the Hornets know what Diabate brings to the table. What he does not bring to the table is a whole lot of offense. Diabate led in offensive rebounding percentage, but he rarely ever looked to put those back up. He's got to be more aggressive around the rim (and improve his free-throw shooting since he'll get fouled) in 2025-26 to prevent defenses from almost playing five-on-four.

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