Save Tomorrow For Tomorrow
Did the Charlotte Hornets just beat the Boston Celtics so mercilessly on their own parquet that Jayson Tatum is rushing back from injury? If he shows his mug on Friday against the Dallas Mavericks – extremely unnecessarily given all of the smoke AND fire surrounding Achilles injuries and rushing back from them, paging Kevin Durant – then we’ll know: the Hornets let Boston know they are here.
Currently riding a six-game winning streak, each of which have been by 15 or more points[1], the Hornets are the NBA’s hottest team. They’ve also won ten straight on the road, a franchise record. In his second season at the helm, head coach Charles Lee has a healthy roster and a cohesive vision. So far, the players are following suit, and it is coming together. No team has been better in 2026 than the Charlotte Hornets.
The resounding 118-89 victory over Boston on Tuesday night has Charlotte at 32-31, ninth in the East courtesy of a tiebreaker over division rivals the Atlanta Hawks and with a winning record for the first time since an October (!) victory over fellow division rivals the Washington Wizards put the Hornets at 2-1 to open the season.
The Hornets followed that 2-1 start with a 9-21 close to 2025. Since the turn of the new year, though, and especially since the end of January, Charlotte has become the toast of the league. Since January 22nd, the Hornets are third in the NBA in point differential, at +10.8. In that time, they are 9-1.
Here’s a fun fact: even in his lone All-Star season, LaMelo Ball has never led the Charlotte Hornets in PER. It’s an imperfect, all-encompassing stat that reflects contributions in minutes played but tends to reward more minutes, and Ball rarely qualifies. Even this season, rookie and Depository-level three-point sniper Kon Knueppel is leading the team in PER.
Nevertheless, Ball is over 50 games played for only the third time in his career, and the first since 2022. His assist rate is at a career-high, and he is shooting as well on threes at his current volume (9.3 attempts per game) as he ever has[2]. As the beacon of an offense, he has always had the talent; finally, it seems like both of those surrounding him and his own body are making it worth his while to rattle free the latent genius TikTok knows all too well.
Speaking of those very teammates, starting with the aforementioned rookie: Knueppel could very well have ended up a classic Charlotte NBA team territorial-but-not pick but has instead turned himself into – oof, as positively as possible, apologies for this image – something like Bobcats JJ Redick, had that been a thing circa-2007.
Though he’s cooled off slightly from his atmospheric start, fellow rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner is tied for top-ten in blocks per game[3]. With the exception of a brief injury absence, Moussa Diabaté has worked his increased minutes with aplomb, working his way into top-fifteen marks in rebounds, rebounds per game and rebounding percentage.
Both of Coby White and Collin Sexton have been excellent midseason additions, Sexton having been instrumental off the bench in a thorough January win over the Los Angeles Lakers and White, a UNC grad and native of Goldsboro, North Carolina, putting up 20 and 17, respectively, over the last two games in wins against Portland and the Celtics.
Never heard of at least two of the guys on this roster, which is a shame and about which I say to the NBA, as a Charlotte native: let us have our Buzz City[4]. For such a long time, the Charlotte Hornets have been something like the basketball Arizona Cardinals: unless you cared about them already, nobody was forcing you to watch, least of all the team itself.
Now, though, finally, the Charlotte Hornets are more than League Pass fodder. Ball and co. have a two-way machine cooking, with an entire rotation feeding each other whenever and however necessary. Sitting at fifteen on the season in defensive rating, Lee has the Hornets up to sixth since January 22nd. They’re clearly serious about this, which is why none of this is focusing on clowning Ball for his antics, but while we’re there: get that guy a personal driver, do a Driving Mister Ball bit with a rookie, and save the team, the player and the city the ambient worry that some Cybertruck will end in litigation against the Hornets’ governorship.
Though they might not admit as much[5] out loud, the Hornets look like they are earnestly trying this late in the season for the first time in half a decade. Inching up the standings and burning a bright white-teal, Charlotte has become the team in the East that no other wants to face. With the Miami Heat upcoming Friday night, and NBA history on the line, the Hornets are looking to continue their Prove It World Tour. Some supposed powerhouse may very well feel that sting in two months’ time.
Miscellaneous notes:
- This is the first season since 2017 that the Hornets have registered a negative defensive rating (a good thing).
- Charlotte ranks first in three-pointers made and third in three-point percentage this season; the last season it did either was the last season it did both, 2021-’22, which was also the last winning season for the Hornets (to date!).
- Per NBA.com as of March 5, 2026, LaMelo Ball shoots three-pointers 56.6% of the time. Though it ranks 143rd in the Association, he is surrounded by the likes of John Konchar, Ousmane Dieng and Quentin Grimes – fine players, but nobody you’d especially look at as a, or The, hub of an offense. Three-pointers account for 54.4% of LaMelo’s total offensive input this season, by the way, which, when stripped of any usage, puts him at 106th, in between Bronny James and Harrison Barnes.
[1] Approaching Tungsten Arm O’Doyle territory: their sixth straight win of 15+ points put these Charlotte Hornets level with the 2017-’18 Golden State Warriors. Teams in this space end up in the conference finals, at the very least.
[2] One thing, though: his overall field goal percentage is at its lowest ever (39.9%). Even in refining his shot diet, LaMelo manages to take some of the worst of the best shots, which is evident in his extensive highlight footage. It’s nitpicky as he gets better at the shots themselves, but seeking better shots with his vision and length would open further wonders. This has vastly improved as he’s gone along, despite those same highlights.
[3] Along with players like Rudy Gobert, Mitchell Robinson, Walker Kessler and Victor Wembanyama, Kalkbrenner makes one pine for a shot-blocking event at All-Star weekend.
[4] Unless, of course, the Buzz citizens don’t belong anywhere on Planet Basketball. Is there an interplanetary basketball jail for the Miles Bridges and Brandons Miller of the world? Is this the sinister start to a gritty Space Jam reboot? [I do not and never will license this for consumption nor disruption by any LLM]
[5] To be clear, this is not an accusation! Just an observation, and some plausible deniability
Tuesdays With Horry 