The Charlotte Hornets were bad and injured last year. The roster was clearly not quite as good or deep as it needed to be for a competitive season. They also ran into unbelievable injury luck. Tre Mann, Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball, Mark Williams, and others spent substantial time on the bench because they were hurt.
It resulted in 19 wins and the fourth pick in the NBA draft. However, after an offseason of carefully calculated, smart moves, the Hornets are better on paper. One NBA insider thinks it's enough to easily blow past that total of 19 wins in 2025-26.