Not Time to Panic? NBA Analysts Caution Patience with New-Look Hornets

If you're panicking about the current iteration of the Charlotte Hornets, you're not alone. There is rampant frustration among everyone. Willingly trading your best player after a fantastic season is a tough sell as it is, but starting 4-7 with the sport's worst offense is even worse.

In almost every conceivable way, the LaMelo Ball trade has backfired. Naz Reid hasn't been quite as good as the Hornets had hoped, and Ball is currently fully healthy (while Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, and Coby White haven't been), carrying an Anthony Edwards-less Minnesota Timberwolves.

So, is it time to panic? Bill Simmons doesn't think so. The NBA insider did previously admit that things look rough in Charlotte, with Reid potentially not being happy and the offense being as awful as it has been. Still, he wants to exercise patience.

🎙️ @BillSimmons: "I'm not panicking with Charlotte... I'm not going to admit defeat, and I don't think anybody should take victory yet on the LaMelo trade. Let's ride this out. Let's talk in March!" pic.twitter.com/nx9Y3H3vQx
— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) November 11, 2026

"I'm not panicking with Charlotte... Everything went wrong. With that said, they're only 4-7... I'm not going to admit defeat, and I don't think anybody should take victory yet on the LaMelo trade. Let's ride this out. Let's talk in March," he said.

Rob Mahoney added that the offense is functioning the same as it did last year. They're getting the same sort of shots, but they're not as open and they're not falling. Brandon Miller, Mahoney argues, is perhaps the biggest culprit of that.

"The dream of Brandon Miller as a primary offensive option is dying in real time... I still really like him, but he's clearly settling in as the 2nd or 3rd best player on a really good team. This kind of usage has not suited him," he said.

Simmons chimed in that Miller wasn't supposed to be that. The Hornets weren't supposed to use Miller like this. He wasn't supposed to be the one, he was supposed to be the 1A to Kon Knueppel's 1B, with Coby White a strong two as well.

Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) during pregame warm ups against the Boston Celtics | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Simmons also stressed patience with that. Miller has looked pretty awful as a lead player, but the insider believes that Jaylen Brown, an All-NBA player, would have looked the same if he'd been asked to run a team in year four like Miller has been.

So, on both counts, Simmons and Mahoney believe patience needs to be exercised. They believe that time will tell whether or not a fully healthy Hornets squad will be fine and if Miller can be better as a 1A than the true one.

So, while Hornets fans are understandably frustrated, it's still early, and perhaps we all ought to have a little bit more patience.

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