Predicting the Charlotte Hornets Rotation for the 2026-2027 season

Jeff Peterson has been a busy man this summer, but it’s clear he still has some work to do. The Hornets have 16 men on their roster, meaning some players will have to go. With that in mind, it’s hard to predict what the team’s exact rotation will be this year; however, that won’t stop me from trying.

First let’s go with the starters:

G Coby White
G Kon Knueppel
F Brandon Miller
F Naz Reid
C Hannes Steinbach

To be clear, this is the more polished version of the team’s starting five. This would be after the start of the season, when Hannes has fully acclimated himself, which I expect him to do more than anything after watching him in Summer League.

Beyond Hannes, there should be no other surprises to you. This is the best Charlotte has, and they are quite confident they have a unit here that can still compete with the best of them.

Now for the bench:

Mar 28, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen (8) against the Utah Jazz in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Hopefully Moussa doesn’t take the demotion to heart. Some players have defined their careers by being a Sixth Man, and if Moussa gets behind it, he will continue to make a huge impact whether it be at center or at the power forward spot.

The backup shooting guard, assuming they don’t use him in a trade, is Grayson Allen. Now heading into his 9th year, Allen can still shoot with the best of them, and the numbers back it up, as he averaged a career high of 16.5 points last year.

Backing up at center, I believe, will be Ryan Kalkbrenner. As former WWE wrestler Enzo Amore would say, “This man is seven feet tall, and you can’t teach that.” Ryan had a great rookie season but has become something of a forgotten man with some of the additions to the squad. Here’s hoping he doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.

Royce O'Neale at small forward: A bit undersized for the small forward spot but definitely not underskilled. There’s a reason the Hornets traded for the 6-6 vet. Expect him to come on in relief as well as get a few games in the starting rotation when guys struggle.

From here it gets a little trickier. Before summer league, the team had hoped Christian Anderson would make an easy transition into the team’s backup point guard. So far it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing. With him struggling, expect both he and Sion James to continue to split duties bringing up the ball in relief. I do think Anderson will figure it out when it’s all said and done.

As you can see, it’s a bit crowded, especially when you consider we haven’t even mentioned Grant Williams, Tre Mann, Tidjane Salaün, and Liam McNeeley. I have all but given up on Salaün and Mann, but I do expect McNeeley to find minutes at some point this season. It will be interesting to see who then wins the fight for the power forward spot between Williams and Tillman. Both are great guys; however, I’m giving the edge to Williams based on his seniority within the franchise.

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