Eastern Conference · Southeast
ESPN standings data retrieved October 6, 2026. NBA comparisons use the completed 2025–26 regular season. Each upcoming fixture labels preseason or regular-season status.
Charlotte Hornets2025–26 regular season
| Measure | Season average | League rank |
|---|---|---|
| STANDARD STATS | ||
| Points / game | 116.0 | 13 / 30 |
| Rebounds / game | 46.1 | 5 / 30 |
| Assists / game | 26.3 | 15 / 30 |
| Turnovers / game | 14.4 | 22 / 30 |
| Steals / game | 7.0 | 29 / 30 |
| Blocks / game | 4.5 | 21 / 30 |
| FG% | 46.0% | 25 / 30 |
| 3PT% | 37.8% | 3 / 30 |
| FT% | 81.8% | 2 / 30 |
| THE LAB MEASURES | ||
| eFG% | 55.2% | 12 / 30 |
| Turnover rate | 12.8% | 24 / 30 |
| Offensive rebound rate | — | — |
| Free-throw pressure | 0.244 | 23 / 30 |
ESPN team totals and game box scores checked October 6. NBA season averages and ranks use 2025–26; preseason game results are shown separately. Ranks are within the league, with ties sharing a rank; a lower turnover rate is better. Season offensive rebound rate needs opponent defensive-rebound totals, which this feed does not supply. A dash means unavailable. This game’s offensive rebound rate uses the opponent’s actual rebounds.
eFG% gives a made three its extra value. Turnover rate estimates the share of plays lost before a shot. Offensive rebound rate is the share of available offensive rebounds collected. Free-throw pressure is FTA/FGA. The calculations are (FGM + 0.5 × 3PM)/FGA; TOV/(FGA + 0.44 × FTA + TOV); OREB/(OREB + opponent DREB); and FTA/FGA.
ESPN’s 2025-26 standings snapshot, checked October 6, puts Charlotte Hornets at 44-38. That profile contains 116.0 points scored and 111.2 conceded per game, a +4.8 average margin. The scoring average is 13 of 30 in this league snapshot. The positive margin supports the record, but the next test is whether control survives against a stronger opponent. These are completed 2025–26 totals; 2026–27 preseason results are kept separate.
The next scheduled test is 
Brooklyn Nets on 2026-10-06. Our test is possession quality. Compare effective shooting, turnover rate, offensive rebounding and free-throw pressure; preseason rotation changes can distort all four. Look for repeated advantages through different lineup combinations before carrying a final margin into a regular-season forecast.
Article cutoff 2026-10-03
Last season 44-38 | 9th in the East | Lost in SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament
2025-26 efficiency 118.4 offense | 113.5 defense | +4.9 net per 100 possessions
Charlotte finished ninth at 44-38 and lost in the Play-In. Its 118.4 offensive rating and plus-4.9 net rating made the season more impressive than that ending. LaMelo Ball was important to the improvement, and the offense was 12.6 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor. Removing that creation changes what the returning shooting can accomplish.
Jeff Peterson shifted the core toward Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel, trading Ball and Miles Bridges while adding Naz Reid, Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale and Dennis Schroder. Coby White provides another guard option. Late trades reshuffled the supporting guards without replacing Ball's established offensive responsibility. The central plan is more balanced development around the young wings.
The concern is creating good attempts without the passer who made so many of them available. Miller's shoulder recovery and Knueppel's hamstring injury also complicate the opening weeks. Management has assembled shooting and useful veterans, but the immediate creation burden still shifts toward players adjusting to larger roles. Keeping the floor spread does not help enough if the ball never reaches the open player on time.
Projected finish is 11th in the East. We respect the efficiency baseline, but discount it for the departure of Ball and early availability questions. Charlotte should remain competitive and can get back into the Play-In race. The clearer long-term identity is a positive. The next proof is that it can produce an efficient offense without borrowing the credit from last year's point guard.
| Date / time | Sport | Matchup | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-06 6:00 PM CT | NBA | Brooklyn Nets @ Charlotte HornetsStats & matchup analysis → | Preseason |
| 2026-10-11 6:00 PM CT | NBA | Milwaukee Bucks @ Charlotte HornetsStats & matchup analysis → | Preseason |
| 2026-10-14 6:30 PM CT | NBA | Charlotte Hornets @ Boston CelticsStats & matchup analysis → | Preseason |
| 2026-10-16 7:00 PM CT | NBA | Charlotte Hornets @ Memphis GrizzliesStats & matchup analysis → | Preseason |
| 2026-10-21 6:30 PM CT | NBA | Charlotte Hornets @ Brooklyn NetsStats & matchup analysis → | Regular season |
| 2026-10-23 6:00 PM CT | NBA | Atlanta Hawks @ Charlotte HornetsStats & matchup analysis → | Regular season |
| 2026-10-24 5:00 PM CT | NBA | Miami Heat @ Charlotte HornetsStats & matchup analysis → | Regular season |
| 2026-10-26 6:00 PM CT | NBA | Washington Wizards @ Charlotte HornetsStats & matchup analysis → | Regular season |
A matching published game video is not available in the verified archive yet.
