NBA analyst predicts Hornets will 'cruise' to more wins in 2025-26

The Charlotte Hornets were bad and injured last year. The roster was clearly not quite as good or deep as it needed to be for a competitive season. They also ran into unbelievable injury luck. Tre Mann, Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball, Mark Williams, and others spent substantial time on the bench because they were hurt.

It resulted in 19 wins and the fourth pick in the NBA draft. However, after an offseason of carefully calculated, smart moves, the Hornets are better on paper. One NBA insider thinks it's enough to easily blow past that total of 19 wins in 2025-26.

Insider claims Hornets are destined to be better

The Charlotte Hornets have made a ton of moves to better fit their core and to be more competitive. The floor on this roster is much higher than any roster in the last few seasons. While it's not a roster destined for greatness this year, they should improve.

Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey ranked them 28th in the latest power rankings. He said, "Whatever you think of LaMelo Ball's blustery style, with all its one-legged runners from three, no-look passes and committed isolations, he's undoubtedly productive. And he attracts plenty of defensive attention."

Giving him shooters that are big makes a lot of sense to Bailey, and now the Hornets have Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, and Liam McNeeley, all shooters that stand 6'5" or taller.

"Of course, defense is going to be an adventure (rookie big Ryan Kalkbrenner may help there, but again, he's unproven). And there will be a learning curve for the incoming rookies (Knueppel and McNeeley)," Bailey admitted.

That still shouldn't hamper the Hornets too much, especially in comparison to last season. "But if Ball can stay healthy, Charlotte should cruise past last season's total of 19 wins," Bailey said.

That is a big if, though. Ball has played over 50 games just twice in his NBA career, and those were his first two seasons. However, with a lower usage rate and perhaps some more minutes on the bench with a deeper, better roster, Ball might be able to avoid some of the issues.

If he does, then 19 wins might seem like a pretty low bar to clear. Even if he doesn't, the Hornets have filled the reserves behind him with enough talent (Spencer Dinwiddie, Tre Mann, Collin Sexton) that they can probably avoid disaster either way.

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