After Drafting Steinbach and Anderson, the Real Work Begins for the Charlotte Hornets

Charlotte didn't address their lack of physicality in the NBA Draft, and that's okay.

Mike Watters-Imagn Images

If you look at the NBA offseason like it is a 48 minute basketball game, the 60th pick of the draft represents the hypothetical end of the first quarter. With free agency, Summer League, and training camp still to go, there is ample time for Charlotte to reshape their roster before the offseason buzzer sounds and they lace 'em up for the 2026-27 regular season -- their window to do so doesn't end on draft night.

Although there has been some consternation about the selections Charlotte made in the first round, Hannes Steinbach and Christian Anderson, it is abundantly clear why the Hornets coveted them.

Steinbach is a maniacal rebounder that will match the energy of Moussa Diabate in the front court and aide Charlotte in their lofty goal to finish a single game with 100% offensive and defensive rebound rates.

Anderson is a high-feel, high-character, high-IQ, deadeye sniper that can be the 'no, honey, we have LaMelo at home' guard option off of the Hornets' bench that has evaded Charlotte since they drafted Ball in 2020.

I'm a fan of both players, and I totally understand why Jeff Peterson and his team honed in on Steinbach and Anderson on draft night, but the two picks do feel antithetical to the messaging that came out of the organization following the Play-In Tournament blowout to Orlando.

"...one of the recurring themes we all talked about when we came up here after a lot of the bigger games was the physicality. We have to improve in that area," said Charles Lee in his 2025-26 exit interview.

Jeff Peterson echoed that sentiment just a few days later.

"I think the thing that immediately jumps out, of course, is physicality," said Peterson. "And I'm not overreacting to what happened in Orlando. I think it was a theme all year frankly."

The Hornets self-scouted their biggest weakness, and then failed to address it with their two premium picks in the NBA Draft. Steinbach will walk into the NBA with a Hall-of-Fame level Paint Beast badge on 2K, but he won't offer much resistance against the bigger, stronger forwards that litter Charlotte's division rivals like rookie AJ Dybantsa, Atlanta's Jalen Johnson, Orlando's Paolo Banchero, or Miami's fearsome duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.

So, did the Hornets make a mistake on draft night by not trading up for a guy like Morez Johnson Jr.? Or drafting a power wing like Dailyn Swain? Or reaching for Jayden Quaintance, Zuby Ejiofor, or Koa Peat?

No, they did not. Relying on a first-year player to set the tone with physicality is a fools errand in the NBA.

And although Peterson clearly diagnosed the lack of physicality on the roster as Charlotte's fatal flaw, he also prescribed the medicine in the same breath.

"I think the way that (the team's lack of physicality) gets addressed is, first and foremost, everyone has to look themselves in the mirror. Players have to get stronger and be willing to lift more and things like that, and get uncomfortable from that standpoint. And again, I know they will, because they care..."

"...But physicality is something that you can't just flip a switch on either, right? It takes some time to develop, so off the top of my head that's something we need to address."

There are two parts to Peterson's answer, and I think they can shed light on why the Hornets' weren't uber-aggressive in fixing their physicality on draft night.

First, they believe the answer is in the building. Charles Lee and Jeff Peterson have been adamant since they landed in Charlotte that internal development will be their number one priority. When I asked Peterson about the recent rises from the basement to the penthouse for Oklahoma City and Detroit, he applauded the improvements that the players on their roster have made...

"There's a premium placed on internal development. Those guys, and I have respect for both of those organizations, whether it's OKC or Detroit, Cade (Cunningham) has gotten better, (Jalen) Duren has gotten better, and Chet (Holmgren), and Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander), all the way to guys like Aaron Wiggins. Everyone on that roster has continued to get better."

...before bringing up names like Tobias Harris and Isaiah Hartenstein: two free agent pickups that helped level up Detroit and Oklahoma City respectively.

Which brings up point number two in Peterson's answer: the Hornets are going to address their lack of physicality. The buzzer just sounded on the NBA Draft, and teams across the league are back on their benches with their clipboards out in anticipation of the proverbial second quarter of the offseason, free agency.

The free agency frenzy of yesteryear is dead, but the calendar flipping to July 1st is the opening of one of the league's most active transaction windows where trades fly and pen hits paper on deals across the league. I'm expecting the Hornets to be active in this space and target players to beef up their physicality in multiple areas.

Charlotte still needs a physical point-of-attack defender and a willing downhill driver that can create passing lanes out to the perimeter. With their full mid-level exception, a handful of expiring, tradable salaries (Josh Green, Grant Williams, Miles Bridges, Tre Mann), and a bevy of future picks in tow, the Hornets are liable to wheel-and-deal in the coming weeks.

In order to get their young players the playoff reps they so desperately need, Peterson and company have to be aggressive to upgrade their roster this offseason. The Eastern Conference is going to be much better next year, and the Hornets can't rest on their laurels and assume they are guaranteed the same success they had in the back half of 2026. The tankers like Washington, Indiana, and Brooklyn are gone - the floor of the East has been raised tremendously, and Charlotte must keep up with the Joneses.

The key here is that they have time to do so. The roster on paper right now is not the one that will tip off the season in October. So sit back, relax, turn on the tape of Christian Anderson torching Duke in Madison Square Garden, and be patient as Charlotte's roster transformation unfolds over the coming weeks.

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