Hornets mailbag: Who starts at center for Charlotte, which players make the cut?
An NBA Summer League championship belongs to the Charlotte Hornets.
Free agency activity has quieted down. The NBA Draft is history.
Still, as usual, plenty of questions abound surrounding the Hornets. In this latest mailbag, we answer reader queries about which player will start at center, how the roster will be trimmed and more.
Offseason grades
Ed Helinski asks on X, formerly known as Twitter: What letter grade do you give Hornets management for its offseason efforts so far? And why?
Considering how things started off, it’s been a relatively solid offseason for the Hornets. Think about the disappointment that engulfed the fanbase when the team didn’t land the No. 1 overall pick in the draft lottery and chance to grab Duke product Cooper Flag while the Dallas Mavericks and their 1% chance I just stole the prize.
But the Hornets still got a nice talent, it appears, in Kon Knueppel and then added what could be a steal later in the second round with the addition of Liam McNeely. Throw in second-round selections Sion James and Ryan Kalkbrenner, and it’s hard to find any holes in their approach.
Going out and trading for Collin Sexton, and then shedding a contract (Vasa Micic) they had no real intent on bringing back for a second tour of duty to acquire Pat Connaughton should also be applauded.
But beyond signing Mason Plumlee to a one-year deal, marking his return to the Carolinas, the center position is a huge question mark. So that’s really the only reason their grade isn’t higher from this vantage point. Still, it rates at a solid B+ at the moment.
Hornets’ starting center
Johnny Boy asks on X: Who do we start at the 5 as of now? Or is it going to be more of a committee?
This has all the makings of how things played out during Mark Williams’ rookie season. Though he was viewed as the future once they drafted him, the Hornets didn’t think he was ready to be inserted into the starting lineup to play heavy minutes immediately.
Instead, Plumlee held that role for the better portion of the first half of the season before he was traded to the LA Clippers at the deadline in February.
Expect more of a repeat of that kind of thinking from the Hornets’ staff. Rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner’s time in the game opening lineup will come, but it won’t be from the outset and Moussa Diabate is too undersized to start against some of the league’s bigger players on the interior.
That leaves Plumlee as the most logical candidate to be on the floor with LaMelo Ball & Co. when the jump ball is thrown in the air to begin the game.
Josh Green or Pat Connaughton?
Jacob asks on Blue Sky: Most likely player of the fringe group (Pat Connaughton, Nick Smith Jr., Josh Green, DaQuan Jeffries) to stay on the roster?
From this vantage point, there’s only one of those names who is the most likely to still be on the roster right when trainee camp convenes in October. And that’s Josh Green. For a couple of reasons.
Let’s start with the obvious: Green is still recovering from shoulder surgery and was in a sling as recently at Las Vegas Summer League action earlier this month. While there’s no definitive word on his recovery timetable, league sources told The Observer Green probably won’t be ready to go by training camp.
That, of course, just further complicates any possibility of moving him off the roster via trade before the season begins. And his value isn’t great coming off his initial season in Charlotte.
The other three players mentioned each can be waived with little — if any — salary cap ramifications and. Stir all that up a bowl and it equates to a recipe for Green staying in a Hornets uniform.
Jersey patch sponsor
Ceecee Lewis asks on X: Will the Hornets have a sponsor patch this season? And why wasn’t there one last season?
We’ll take the second part first. The Hornets didn’t have one last season because their agreement with the 2023-24 sponsor was only a one-year deal. Once the partnership Mr. Beast and the team expired, the Hornets eventually decided to go without a replacement, leaving them in a position they hadn’t been in since Lending Tree served as the initial sponsor.
A few weeks ago, the Hornets announced longtime sponsor Novant Health would have its logo branded on the team’s practice jersey. It’d be a major upset if there’s not a patch on the main game uniform before the season begins and there’s little doubt the Hornets have something on the works.
Hornets’ 2025-26 record
Hornets Muse asks on X: What is a realistic expectation (record wise) for this team next season
The key, as always, with the Hornets, will depend on injuries. If they can remain healthy and keep their top players on the court and off the daily injury report, there’s no reason why they can have an opportunity to, at minimum, secure a play-in tournament spot.
What that exactly means record-wise, it’s still kind of difficult to determine because we’re so far out from the process. But somewhere along the 8-9 seed range is probably the Hornets’ ceiling at the moment. We’ll see if there’s reason to adjust that in either direction as we get closer to the season tipping off in October.
