Charlotte Hornets Tumble in NBA Power Rankings As Slow Start Continues

The Charlotte Hornets are not off to a good start. The new-look roster that changed so much from last season's version has not exactly thrived. They do have three wins, but it has been ugly on a nightly basis.

Though the rankings were made before the eventual loss to the Detroit Pistons, they justifiably fell pretty hard in The Athletic's weekly NBA Power Rankings. They were 17th a week prior, and now they're 22nd. That feels more appropriate.

Law Murray wrote, "The Hornets beat the Wizards, but that was the lone win of the week. Charlotte is still waiting on reinforcements from Kon Knueppel (hamstring) and Coby White (calf), and Brandon Miller’s efficiency is in the tank without the help."

Murray mentioned White returning on Monday night against the Pistons, but he was not effective whatsoever in that contest. He, like the rest of the offense all season, was pretty bad.

"Naz Reid hasn’t been very good either (39.8 percent field goals, 1.9 assists, 3.0 turnovers), and head coach Charles Lee had to sit him down for the second half at Detroit," Murray concluded.

So, even with White, the offense is abysmal. They have the worst offensive rating in the entire NBA. They're 3.5 points behind the Utah Jazz, who are next on the list.

Charlotte Hornets guard Grayson Allen (8) is guarded by Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The defense is better, but it's nothing to write home about. They're 14th in defensive rating, which is a good mark. It's not good enough to offset the NBA's worst offense by a fair margin.

Here are their ranks in other key metrics:

26th in net rating
26th in assist percentage
30th in turnover percentage
30th in assist ratio
30th in effective field goal percentage
30th in true shooting
29th in pace
27th in PIE

Kon Knueppel isn't going to save all of that when he returns, and Coby White, once he's back to full strength and can play more minutes, isn't going to either. Those two aren't high-level playmakers, so the assist numbers will stay poor.

It's here where I feel obligated to point out that this was exactly the worst-case scenario for the LaMelo Ball trade. Losing an elite playmaker like that, and someone who is one of the best offensive engines in the NBA, has a cost.

The Hornets thought they'd have enough depth and shooting to survive, but those shooting metrics prove otherwise (sans Knueppel, of course). They were wrong, and the Hornets are suffering because of it.

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