NBA insiders laud Hornets' offseason: 'The boat's rowing in the right direction'

Bill Simmons and Ryen Russillo had a pro-Hornets take.

Mar 26, 2025; Newark, NJ, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Kon Knueppel (7) during a practice session in preparation for an East Regional semifinal game against the Arizona Wildcats at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Charlotte Hornets have made quite a few moves this offseason. The future will ultimately determine if any of it was worthwhile, but for now, the impression is that the Hornets are slowly turning things around. Rome wasn't built in a day, but the building blocks appear to be present.

There may not be better evidence of this than how the wider NBA media is talking about it. Long the punching bag, Charlotte is getting a lot of props for what they've done this offseason. The latest example comes from Bill Simmons and Ryen Russillo, two NBA analysts who haven't always been kind to the Hornets.

Simmons said, "I really like all the stuff Charlotte did, just all these slight upgrade deals... nothing major, but smart. Just seems like the boat's rowing in the right direction finally for them." Of course, Simmons couldn't resist joking that it took the Hornets "the entire decade" to turn things around.

Russillo added, "New ownership, it's a much smarter group... it was gonna take a little while for you to feel it." But, Russillo said somberly, the decision on what to do with LaMelo Ball is a "big one." He added, "Maybe he's just healthy and plays well, there's more talent around him, and it all works out, because there's a lot of people that love him down there."

Either way, the Hornets seem to have set themselves up for success. They've quietly stockpiled a lot of assets and have also, sometimes at the same time, significantly raised the floor for this team. The reserves are populated by actual NBA players, not G-League players forced into action. They have more shooting, versatility, and playmaking on offense.

The frontcourt remains thin after moving on from Mark Williams and Jusuf Nurkic, but they got two first-round picks, three second-round picks (by virtue of flipping Vasilije Micic), and both Pat Connaughton and Collin Sexton out of that, so it's hard to complain too much about those moves, either.

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