Charlotte Hornets 2026-27
The Charlotte Hornets went 44-38 in 2025-26 and ranked 8th in net rating and 12th in defense. The sportsbooks set their 2026-27 win total at 38.5. Our model has them at 46 wins, and our projected record, which weights the line three to one, is 40-42, the No. 10 seed in the East. The model sits 8.0 wins above the line, so our call is the over, one of our six best bets.
The question
How many games do Knueppel, White and Miller miss to start the season, and who replaces LaMelo Ball's playmaking and Miles Bridges' scoring?
Projected starters
Reporting confidence: low.
Bench rotation
Sion James · Royce O'Neale · Tidjane Salaun · Liam McNeeley · Ryan Kalkbrenner · Hannes Steinbach · Christian Anderson · Pat Connaughton
Players at 1.73 or better on AQI
- Brandon Miller 2.72
Top-three salaries, 2025-26 games
Naz Reid 77; Coby White 50; Grayson Allen 51 (73% of possible games)
Injuries
- Kon Knueppel · OutHamstring; out for all of preseason
- Grant Williams · OutHamstring; out for all of preseason
- Coby White · Out (preseason)Left calf strain from training camp; out for all of preseason (team, Oct 5)
- Brandon Miller · Day-to-dayShin contusion in practice; missed the Oct 6 opener. Also had left shoulder surgery in May (NBA.com: 'could miss games early in the season').
Rookies to watch
- Hannes Steinbach (No. 14): Mobile 6-11 big who looked good at Summer League. In the mix for frontcourt minutes.
- Christian Anderson (No. 18): Named among the offseason additions. Little preseason detail found.
Roster and contracts
| Player | Pos | Age | 2026-27 salary | AQI | AQI season | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naz Reid | C | 27 | $23.3M | 0.90 | 2025-26 | |
| Grayson Allen | G | 31 | $18.1M | 0.16 | 2025-26 | Day-To-Day |
| Brandon Miller | F | 23 | $15.1M | 2.72 | 2025-26 | |
| Dennis Schroder | G | 33 | $14.8M | -1.38 | 2025-26 | |
| Grant Williams | F | 27 | $14.3M | — | Day-To-Day | |
| Royce O'Neale | F | 33 | $11.4M | -0.38 | 2025-26 | |
| Kon Knueppel | G | 21 | $10.5M | 1.58 | 2025-26 | Day-To-Day |
| Tidjane Salaun | F | 21 | $8.2M | — | ||
| Pat Connaughton | G | 33 | $3.8M | — | ||
| Liam McNeeley | G | 21 | $2.9M | — | ||
| Moussa Diabate | F | 24 | $2.5M | 1.23 | 2025-26 | |
| Sion James | G | 23 | $2.4M | 0.19 | 2025-26 | |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | C | 24 | $2.4M | 0.24 | 2025-26 | |
| Christian AndersonRookie | G | 20 | — | — | Day-To-Day | |
| Kylan BoswellRookie | G | 21 | — | — | Day-To-Day | |
| Wyatt FricksRookie | F | 23 | — | — | ||
| PJ Hall | C | 24 | — | — | ||
| Jarkel Joiner | G | 27 | — | — | ||
| Hannes SteinbachRookie | F | 20 | — | — | ||
| Coby White | G | 26 | — | 1.14 | 2025-26 | Day-To-Day |
AQI is a player's on-court net rating × usage × (true shooting ÷ 0.550): his 2025-26 number if he played 1,000 minutes, otherwise his latest 1,500-minute season. Highlighted players are at or above 1.73, the floor every champion's best player has cleared. Salaries and injury designations from ESPN as of October 13, 2026.
Common questions
What is the Charlotte Hornets win total for 2026-27?
The median win total across BetMGM, DraftKings, Caesars, bet365 and BetRivers is 38.5 (BetMGM 39.5 · BetRivers 38.5 · Caesars 37.5 · DraftKings 39.5 · bet365 38.5).
How many games will the Hornets win in 2026-27?
DataDunkNBA projects 40-42. The model sits 8.0 wins above the line, so our call is the over, one of our six best bets.
Who is injured for the Hornets?
Kon Knueppel: Out (Hamstring; out for all of preseason); Grant Williams: Out (Hamstring; out for all of preseason); Coby White: Out (preseason) (Left calf strain from training camp; out for all of preseason (team, Oct 5)); Brandon Miller: Day-to-day (Shin contusion in practice; missed the Oct 6 opener. Also had left shoulder surgery in May (NBA.com: 'could miss games early in the season').).
East projected standings
| Seed | Team | Line | Our record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York Knicks | 52.5 | 52-30 |
| 2 | Boston Celtics | 51.5 | 52-30 |
| 3 | Detroit Pistons | 48.5 | 50-32 |
| 4 | Philadelphia 76ers | 50.5 | 48-34 |
| 5 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 48.5 | 48-34 |
| 6 | Toronto Raptors | 46.5 | 46-36 |
| 7 | Miami Heat | 46.5 | 45-37 |
| 8 | Orlando Magic | 43.5 | 43-39 |
| 9 | Atlanta Hawks | 43.5 | 43-39 |
| 10 | Charlotte Hornets | 38.5 | 40-42 |
| 11 | Indiana Pacers | 43.5 | 40-42 |
| 12 | Washington Wizards | 34.5 | 32-50 |
| 13 | Chicago Bulls | 29.5 | 30-52 |
| 14 | Milwaukee Bucks | 25.5 | 27-55 |
| 15 | Brooklyn Nets | 24.5 | 25-57 |
Read the full reasoning for every team in Vegas vs. the Numbers: our 2026-27 predictions, and how the contender tests work in the four tests preview and the AQI explainer.