Hornets Seek Sharper Showing Against New-Look Bucks

The Charlotte Hornets will play their second and final home game of the preseason against the Milwaukee Bucks today at Spectrum Center, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. EST. Charlotte gets another chance to deliver a better showing after a rough final quarter and a half against the Brooklyn Nets earlier this week resulted in a 30-plus-point loss.

Milwaukee is a fitting opponent for Charlotte, with both franchises trading away their franchise players in two monumental moves this offseason. The Bucks dealt Giannis Antetokounmpo in late June following a lengthy trade saga, receiving an extensive haul in return for the former Finals MVP, just days before the Hornets pivoted off LaMelo Ball.

The Bucks enter 2026-27 widely projected to finish near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, with major sportsbooks giving Milwaukee the NBA's third-lowest projected win total. A rebuilding year appears on the horizon for the franchise in its 59th season, but like Charlotte, Milwaukee has an intriguing mix of young talent and established veterans to watch and evaluate, which should make for a compelling preseason matchup.

Injury report

Hornets

Out: Coby White (left calf), Kon Knueppel (left hamstring), Grant Williams (right hamstring), Kylan Boswell (right knee)

Questionable: Brandon Miller (shin contusion), Christian Anderson (left ankle)

Bucks

Out: Nate Ament (left ankle)

Fear the Deer?

Oct 5, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Taylor Jenkins enjoys a play with guard Brayden Burries (0) in the third quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Along with the massive roster turnover, Milwaukee also has a new head man in Taylor Jenkins, who previously worked alongside Hornets Head Coach Charles Lee on Mike Budenholzer's staff in Atlanta (2014-18) and Milwaukee (2018-19).

Looking down the Bucks' roster, Charlotte fans will recognize plenty of familiar faces, particularly the four players acquired in the Antetokounmpo trade. Led by one-time All-Star Tyler Herro, the group also includes Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel'el Ware, and Kasparas Jakučionis, all of whom were regular contributors for Miami last season and played against Charlotte in the Hornets' thrilling play-in victory over the Heat in April.

Milwaukee finished last season with a bottom-seven offense in the NBA, but the club enters this year with slightly more offensive talent from top to bottom, especially in the backcourt. For Charlotte, this should be a good opportunity to show holistic improvement defensively after an underwhelming performance against Brooklyn, most notably when it comes to containing the basketball and being more sound on the perimeter.

The Bucks have some challenging individual creators coming off the bench, including the slick handles of Kevin Porter Jr. and top-10 draft pick Brayden Burries, who was in consideration for Charlotte's first lottery pick but was off the board by the time the Hornets picked.

Burries can score in bunches, putting up 16 points in 21 minutes in Milwaukee's previous preseason outing, making him a player I'm eager to watch in this one.

Milwaukee also has plenty of shooting and established NBA talent in its reserves with AJ Green, Gary Trent Jr., and Caris LeVert. Much like Charlotte, the Bucks are leaning more on their depth and collection of net-positive rotation players than overwhelming star power.

Can the Bugs bounce back?

Charlotte was without its three best offensive players against Brooklyn, with Coby White, Brandon Miller, and Kon Knueppel all sidelined, along with top-20 draft pick Christian Anderson. It was no surprise that the Hornets struggled to take care of the basketball, committing 25 turnovers in their preseason opener.

That cannot happen again, or Charlotte will very likely find itself 0-2 through its two home preseason games to start 2026-27.

Outside of Dennis Schröder, I'm curious to see who can effectively run the offense and create shots for others, especially with Charlotte missing so much of its lead ball-handling at the moment. It's going to take play creation by committee, with players such as Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale, and Liam McNeeley using shot fakes to create advantages and get the drive-and-kick game flowing.

Beyond ball security, Charlotte also needs to find more success scoring inside. The Hornets managed just 22 points in the paint against Brooklyn, converting only 11 of their 33 attempts in that area (33%).

Generating consistent rim pressure will be one of Charlotte's biggest offensive questions throughout the season, as the Hornets need more balance rather than relying too heavily on a high volume of made threes night after night to win games. A key part of that will be getting their bigs involved as rollers to the basket.

That brings me to Hannes Steinbach, who did not check into the Brooklyn game until the four-minute mark of the third quarter. I'd like to see him get more minutes alongside Charlotte's other rotation players against NBA talent rather than G League competition, giving us a better look at how he's utilized and how he holds up against established NBA bigs.

Projected starting lineups:

	Charlotte Hornets	Milwaukee Bucks
Point Guard	Dennis Schröder	Ryan Rollins
Shooting Guard	Grayson Allen	Tyler Herro
Small Forward	Brandon Miller	Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Power Forward	Naz Reid	Kyle Kuzma
Center	Moussa Diabaté	Myles Turner

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