Charles Lee Feels Strongly About Hornets' Retooled Roster: 'We'll Shock Some People'

Here soon, we are going to get our first look at the new-look Charlotte Hornets.

It's easy to assume that without LaMelo Ball, this team is going to have its fair share of struggles. He was the straw that stirred the drink for them offensively for years, and there's no recreating his playmaking ability from the point guard spot.

Coby White will give solid production, but it's going to come in a much different way. How guys like Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, and others get good looks consistently is a big concern.

Head coach Charles Lee doesn't seem overly worried, though, and told Mac and Bone on Sports Radio WFNZ how confident he is in this group.

"We were busy this offseason. I think the Hornets got better, and obviously change is gonna be tough for some people, but I think overall the mindset is how do we just keep moving this thing in the right direction? The Carolinas deserve a really good basketball product, and we want to have something that's sustainable. I think that we can year after year be competing in the playoffs for a championship, and so that's the road that we're going down. And we love the support that we’ve gotten. I’m with Coby. We’ll shock some people. We’ll be better than people realize. But ultimately, we have to create our own expectations and standards of how we want to operate within our Hive, and that’s what’s really going to drive us throughout the whole year.”

What exactly does "shock some people" look like?

Apr 14, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Coby White (3) goes to the basket past Miami Heat guard Norman Powell (24) 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 | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I hate putting a ceiling on teams, especially when we are not even in training camp, but it's hard to imagine this group being good enough to secure a top-six seed, clinching a best-of-7 series. Even if they are at full strength for much of the year, they still don't have the star power to go toe to toe with a vastly improved Eastern Conference.

The Hornets' bench is in a much better place with guys like Dennis Schröder, Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale, Grant Williams, and Hannes Steinbach, but I'm not sure it's enough to overcome the lack of true star power. Miller and/or Knueppel could develop into that, but they haven't earned that label yet.

The "shock" could be as simple as being one of the top teams in the Play-In tournament and taking the No. 2 seed to six or seven games. Anything beyond that is a tall ask.

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