By One Metric, the Charlotte Hornets Have 4 of the 6 Best Players in the NBA

The Hornets have a few of the top players by +/- in the NBA this year.

Charlotte Hornets guard Josh Green (10) celebrates with guard LaMelo Ball (1) during the fourth quarter | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

Plus/minus is not the best stat in the basketball world, and it can sometimes be misleading. It's a stat that conflates individual performance with team performance and opponent performance. Sometimes, the scoreboard changes are not one player's fault.

Still, as flawed as it is, it's a stat you always want to be positive in. The simple summation of the stat, which is that your team adds points to their lead or shrinks a deficit when you're on the court, is a good thing.

So the fact that the Charlotte Hornets have four of the six best plus/minus numbers this year is incredible, even if it's not the most useful stat for analysis.

According to Kalshi Hoops, Brandon Miller leads the NBA in the stat at an astonishing +135. LaMelo Ball is right behind at +133, and Moussa Diabaté is +125. They lead the NBA in that stat.

NBA Best +/- in 2026:

+135 — Brandon Miller (CHA)
+133 — LaMelo Ball (CHA)
+125 — Moussa Diabate (CHA)
+124 — De'Anthony Melton (GSW)
+112 — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)
+107 — Josh Green (CHA) pic.twitter.com/NSoM118eei

— Kalshi Hoops (@KalshiHoops) January 28, 2026

Just behind them are the first two non-Hornets: Golden State Warriors guard De'Anthony Melton (+124) and reigning MVP (and MVP favorite this year) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is +112.

Then, the final Hornet on the list, and he might be the most shocking. Josh Green is +107. The simple fact that Green is a hugely positive player is a big surprise considering how mediocre he was last year.

The fact that he's sixth in the NBA in what is essentially a counting stat is unfathomable since he's missed literally half the Hornets' games this season. In just 24 games, he's +107. That is unreal.

Now, as mentioned, plus/minus is a flawed stat. If LaMelo Ball is out on the floor with Pat Connaughton, Tre Mann, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Miles Bridges while the other team has its five starters out, the other team is likely to surge on the scoreboard, making Ball's plus/minus go down, no matter if he scores 15 points in a quarter.

Jan 26, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) goes to the basket against Philadelphia 76ers forward Dominick Barlow (25) during the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The advanced stats aren't as kind to the Hornets. Miller, Ball, and Diabaté don't lead the NBA there, but they are still quite good. The on/off split is a better way to look at how a team does with a player on the floor, and Ball is +12.2 there.

That's better than Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, Tyrese Maxey, Victor Wembanyama, Donovan Mitchell, and Jalen Brunson. Among players with 1,000 minutes, Ball is fifth in the NBA, behind Lauri Markkanen, Nikola Jokic, Pascal Siakam, and AJ Green.

Miller isn't that high, but he's +8.3, which is really good. Diabate is +12.0, which ranks seventh in the NBA. Josh Green doesn't qualify for the leaderboard, but he's +15.7, which would be third in the NBA.

So even when looking at better metrics, the Hornets' quad of impressive players is still among the best in the NBA.

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