Projecting the Charlotte Hornets' Rotations With Bridges, Diabatè Suspended

On Wednesday morning, the NBA announced the repercussions for Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabatè, the two Hornets players that played leading roles in the brawl that stained a high-level basketball game between the Charlotte and the Detroit.

Both Bridges and Diabatè will miss the Hornets' next four games, forcing Charlotte to scramble and fill two spots in their starting lineup. Let's predict how Charles Lee will adjust without two key members of his league-best five-man unit.

Projected Starting Five

Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams (2) grabs a rebound against the Atlanta Hawks — Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Point Guard: LaMelo Ball
Shooting Guard: Kon Knueppel
Small Forward: Brandon Miller
Power Forward: Grant Williams
Center: Ryan Kalkbrenner

This is how I assume Charlotte will start the next four games (vs. ATL, vs. HOU, vs. CLE, vs. WAS).

Grant Williams, now healthy after a lengthy injury rehab, has been Miles Bridges' primary backup at the four. He doesn't bring the isolation scoring punch that Bridges provides the Hornets when offensive sets break down, but Williams is a versatile player on both ends of the floor that can at least match Miles' overall two-way impact, albeit in different ways.

Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hornets win Williams' minutes by 10.4 points per 100 possessions, a number that will be stress tested in a scaled up role.

Kalkbrenner stepping in for Diabatè will be a larger issue for the Hornets.

Charlotte took off like a rocket ship after Moussa inherited the starting center job in mid-December, and although Kalkbrenner is a useful player in a specific role, he can't match Diabatè's two-way fervor. The rookie big man has bounced-back in recent weeks after a lull in early-January, and he'll need to continue that good run of form to keep the Hornets' front court above water.

Projected Back-Ups

Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington (25) controls the ball as Charlotte Hornets forward Tidjane Salaun (31) defends — Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Point guard: Sion James
Shooting guard: Tre Mann
Small forward: Josh Green
Power forward: Tidjane Salaün
Center: Xavier Tillman or PJ Hall

Now is the time for Tidjane Salaün.

The second-year big man has been a revelation at times for the Hornets, but Grant Williams' return from injury has diminished his role in Charles Lee's nightly rotations. He'll have four games to prove that the developmental markers he hit early in the season weren't just flashes in the pan.

The backup center position is the biggest question mark here.

PJ Hall acquitted himself well during the dog days of winter when both Diabatè and Kalkbrenner were sidelined. He plays with relentless energy, and although he is undersized, Hall is a factor on the glass due to his willingness to mix it up with opposing bigs. Having only played 122 NBA minutes with the Hornets this season, Hall is still a relative unknown in terms of quality in a scaled-up role.

Tillman, on the other hand, is a known quantity.

The veteran big man was acquired at the NBA trade deadline, and he has legitimate pedigree in the league. Tillman hasn't played much since breaking out with the Grizzlies in 2023, but his championship-level experience and familiarity with Charles Lee do make him an intriguing option to slide into the rotation over PJ Hall.

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