Jeff Peterson Hits Next Steps, LaMelo's Season, Draft Flexibility, What's Missing + More

The Charlotte Hornets are now shifting their full attention to the 2026 NBA Draft, free agency, and their development plans for the players who will be on the roster next season.

Monday morning, Hornets President of Basketball Ops Jeff Peterson spent about half an hour with the media for his end-of-year interview. Here's everything he said.

What allowed the in-season turnaround

“Health definitely played a part into it. I think this past summer, a lot of the groundwork was laid in terms of the approach and how we do things. Unfortunately, at the beginning of the season, we were hit with injuries, and once they did get healthy, there was a way and a standard that Charles (Lee) and his group had set. That’s one of the things I’m most proud of is this group just sticking with the process. Part of it too is you play more minutes together and synergy builds, chemistry. I think we saw some of that as well.”

Not letting the Play-In loss take away from the season

“Friday hurt. Still hurts, if I’m being transparent. Give credit to Orlando. They had been playing pretty good basketball the past two weeks of the season. At the same time, I knew it hurt in that locker room. I know every player, every staff member is going to take this offseason serious and not that we hadn’t in the past. It was a moment that sucked, quite frankly. At the same time, there’s a lot to be proud of.”

Using assets to go all in and make a splash

“We’ll know when the time is right. We can’t skip steps. I’ve seen it too many times, and it ends up not going the way you think it goes in terms of trying to speed things up. We’ve made a ton of progress this season internally, and I’m excited because I know that’s going to continue to happen. But we’ll continue to be strategic, and when the opportunity presents itself, I know we’ll be ready because of the flexibility we have.”

Desire to bring back Coby White

“Like I said when we traded for Coby, we envision him as somebody who is going to be with the Hornets for a long time. He embodies what we’re about. On the court, he’s a really good player, but the human being, his approach, his professionalism…he probably hit one of the biggest shots in Hornets history the other night, and it couldn’t have happened to a better human being. Just happy for him and what he’s been able to accomplish in this short amount of time.”

What it means that this group changed the narrative on the Hornets

“It’s something I’m proud of because it makes my job easier. Whether we’re recruiting free agents or draft workouts, whatever it may be, Charlotte is a place where guys want to come to and play. They respect the staff, respect the team.”

How the rookie class performed

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of our rookies. All four of them contributed this year at some point. First and foremost, who they are as humans, their approach, they are professional, wanting to work, wanting to learn, wanting to be coached, they are self-motivated. I have no doubt in my mind that they will continue to get better.”

Having two first round picks

“I’m very excited about this draft. If it’s not the deepest, it’s one of the deepest that I’ve ever been a part of. Again, where we are from an asset standpoint, it’s going to allow us to be flexible — whether that means we bring two players in, consolidate, we’ll have different options that we’ll continue to explore and look at.”

LaMelo Ball’s season and what’s next for him

“I’m so proud of him, playing 72 games, and it is because of him. He put the work in. Of course, our medical performance staff helped, our coaching staff did a great job, and helped him, but this past summer, he took the next steps. He got uncomfortable, continued to take care of his body, pushed himself. It’s not my accident that he played 72 games. Defensively, I thought his effort on that end of the floor was more intense; it was more sustained. Offensively, there’s not much he can’t do on the offensive end of the court.”

What this team needs the most

“I think the thing that immediately jumps out is physicality. And I’m not overreacting to what happened in Orlando. I think it was a theme all year, quite frankly. I think how that gets addressed, first and foremost, is everyone has to look at themselves in the mirror. Players have to stronger and lift more, get more uncomfortable from that standpoint, and I know they will. Physicality is something that I always appreciate.”

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