LeBron James, Joel Embiid Ruled Out vs. Hornets — What This Means for Charlotte

The Hornets have a better shot at getting back in the win column Saturday night.

Oct 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after a score against the New York Knicks during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A couple of treats for the Charlotte Hornets on Halloween as the Philadelphia 76ers have ruled out LeBron James and Joel Embiid for injury management.

Considering they are on the second leg of a back-to-back and it's early in the season, they want to play it safe with their veterans, especially against a team in Charlotte that is also banged up.

In addition to James and Embiid being out, Jaylen Brown (knee) is considered questionable.

What this means for the Hornets

Oct 23, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets center Naz Reid (0) drives to the basket against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Charlotte needs to take advantage of the advantage they have in the frontcourt, especially coming off one of the worst shooting nights (30% from the field) in franchise history. I understand that Charles Lee's offensive philosophy is to chuck up a bunch of threes, but after a night like last night, it wouldn't hurt to pressure the rim a little more often. You don't want to totally abandon your identity, but there needs to be more balance in the shot diet when things are falling for you as a team.

Naz Reid has had a couple of rough games in a row — he was benched for the second half of the Pistons, and then last night, he recorded a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double, but just shot 29% from the field on 17 shots and was not dialed in defensively. With Philly being shorthanded, this needs to be a game where Reid gets back on track offensively. Run the offense through him a little more and hammer the paint.

The Sixers don't have the luxury of Andre Drummond to take Embiid's spot anymore, so that means Moussa Diabaté has a fairly favorable matchup against Adem Bona, who has averaged roughly five points and four rebounds per game throughout his first two years and change in the league.

If the Hornets can win in the paint and on the glass (and not shoot 30% from the field), they will have a really good chance of snapping this two-game skid and getting back in the win column, which would put them back above .500 on the season.

The Hornets and 76ers are slated to tip things off at 6 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on WSOC 9 and can be heard on Sports Radio WFNZ where play-by-play man Sam Farber will be on the call.

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