Starting Lineups for Hornets' NBA Cup Opener Against Wizards

The Charlotte Hornets will open their 2026-27 Emirates NBA Cup slate against a familiar Southeast Division foe, facing the Washington Wizards for the second time in five days to close out their road trip at Capital One Arena. A win would give Charlotte six consecutive head-to-head victories over Washington. Here are the starting lineups for tonight's matchup.

Charlotte Hornets’ opening five

G Dennis Schröder - The 14-year veteran had a rough go of it shooting the basketball against Washington earlier this week. This is the biggest role Schröder has played in an NBA rotation in quite some time, and Charlotte desperately needs his lead ball-handling and paint-touch creation at the moment, so expect another high-minute, high-responsibility outing for the German guard.

G Sion James - James remains a defensive asset for Charlotte on the perimeter, but he's been an offensive weak link through five games, shooting 18.5% from the field and 16.7% from three-point range, with just one made two-point field goal. I don't dislike his overall offensive process, but he needs to start knocking down a healthier percentage of his open looks to keep defenses honest.

F Brandon Miller - It's been a tremendous last trio of games for the Hornets' newly extended $209 million wing, carrying Charlotte's offense with a 34.8% usage rate. Miller is being asked to be primarily a scorer, and he's delivered at a high level, though his assist percentage has dipped to 10.5%. He'll need to continue shouldering that scoring burden until Charlotte gets its starting backcourt of Kon Knueppel and Coby White back. Miller was the best player on the floor when these teams met Monday. Can he be once again?

F Naz Reid - Expect an inspired individual effort from Reid right out of the gate following the drama surrounding his second-half benching last game. He's been Charlotte's No. 2 offensive option and has really opened up the offense when he's on the floor. The best way to put that benching behind him is to come out with an aggressive and active first half, as he and Brandon Miller will need to be the primary drivers if Charlotte is going to beat Washington twice in one week.

C Moussa Diabaté - Diabaté was an absolute problem on the glass for Washington in their last meeting, grabbing 17 rebounds, including 11 offensive boards. One of the biggest reasons Charlotte came away with the win Monday was their convincing advantage in the possession battle, and Diabaté is the catalyst behind that success.

Washington Wizards' opening five

Oct 10, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward AJ Dybantsa (4) reacts after a play against the Detroit Pistons during the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

G Trae Young - The 28-year-old is coming off his worst performance through five games, shooting 3-of-12 from the field against Cleveland. Young has been an assist machine so far this season, as he's been throughout his career, and showed that against Charlotte in their first match with 22 points and 10 assists. It'll take a collective effort to limit his two-man game with Anthony Davis and prevent him from turning the corner off ball screens to get to his floater.

G AJ Dybantsa - It's no surprise that the No. 1 pick in June had his game translate seamlessly to the NBA level in his debut, scoring 19 points on an efficient 8-of-12 from the field, including nine points in the first quarter as Washington's offense got rolling. I'm curious to see whether Miller or James draws the primary defensive assignment on the 19-year-old and how head coach Charles Lee and his staff plan to keep Dybantsa out of the paint.

F Keyshawn George - George has been one of Washington's best players early in the season, averaging 15.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists. He's been a steady scoring option and a plus starter for the Wizards, though he hasn't shot the three-ball particularly well, connecting on less than 20% of his attempts. George scored 20 points against Charlotte on Monday.

F Anthony Davis - The 10-time All-Star played like one offensively against Charlotte in their previous matchup, recording 29 points and 10 rebounds, but finishing with notably zero blocks and just one steal. At 33, Davis is no longer one of the league's premier defensive bigs, but he can still have individual quarters where he wreaks havoc at the rim as the backline of Washington's defense.

C Alex Sarr - Sarr is an interesting young player who's all of a sudden in Year 3, trying to prove himself as one of the pillars of Washington's franchise. His minutes, points, rebounds, and three-point percentage have all decreased from last season's averages so far. The Wizards are still figuring out how to make the pairing of Sarr and Davis work offensively, with two bigs who don't space the floor well.

Tip-off between the Hornets and Wizards is set for 7 p.m. ET.

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