Health may be the only thing stopping these Charlotte Hornets

Health has always been a big qualifier for this era of the Charlotte Hornets. Everyone, especially LaMelo Ball, seems to struggle just to stay on the court.

Brandon Miller has fallen victim to the Hornets injury curse, too. But when they are on the court with Kon Knueppel, who has avoided said curse so far, good things happen.

How good, you might ask? Well, it's admittedly a small sample size because of the injuries, but when all three of those players are on the floor, the Hornets may boast the best offense in basketball.

In 234 possessions with LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, and Brandon Miller on the floor, the Hornets have an offensive rating of 132.9 - in the 100th percentile per Cleaning the Glass

Small sample size, but that’s a ‘best offense in basketball’ number.

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— Matt Alquiza (@malquiza8) December 19, 2025

Knueppel, Miller, and Ball have only been on the court together for 234 possessions. For reference, a full game has around 100 possessions, so this is about two and a half games worth of data. It's not much, but it's also not nothing.

During those possessions, the Hornets have a 132.9 offensive rating, which is in the 100th percentile. It's virtually the best offense in basketball when those three get on the floor together. It needs to happen a whole lot more often, but that's a hugely positive sign.

Scoring is only one side of the coin, though. If they can't stop a nosebleed, then the offense might not matter as much. But when those three play for the Hornets, for all their defensive woes, the team is actually in the 54th percentile with a 115.6 defensive rating.

So they have an average defense to go with the best offense in the NBA. That's a pretty good formula for success, and it has shown up a few times this season. The first few games, where the offense looked unstoppable, and last night's game against the Hawks are good examples.

Dec 14, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel (7) shoots beside Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) in the fourth quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

They have to be on the floor together more often, but the results speak for themselves. The Hornets front office has done a brilliant job finding the right pieces to fit together.

Ball is the maestro who facilitates the offense like so few others, but his shooting range adds to the spacing the Hornets need.

Knueppel is the true spacer, though, because he's the best shooter. He can also playmake, and he's doing much of the heavy lifting on defense (better defensive rating than Ball or Miller).

Miller ties it together with a little bit of everything. He can shoot, but he's also good in the intermediate and close range (the same goes for Knueppel, who is honestly so much better than advertised), playmake a little, and rebound.

They complement one another perfectly on the offensive side of the ball, and last night's game, with 25+ points for each player, is a wonderful picture of how it's all supposed to work. They just have to stay healthy and available for each other.

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