The Charlotte Hornets have been given an interesting landing spot in a new NBA power rankings.
The 2026-27 NBA season will be starting soon, with teams all over the league ready to prove themselves on the court.
One of those will be the Charlotte Hornets, who are coming off a busy offseason of restructuring the roster. Charlotte moved on from longtime players like LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, giving the team over to a youth movement.
Forwards Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel are now the top options on the team, and the Hornets feel very good about where they are as a team. Mixing in some veteran talent next to the two young forwards, and the Hornets could very easily be a playoff team next season.
But before that all starts, the Hornets were given an interesting landing spot in a new power ranking from Bleacher Report. Charlotte came in ranked at No. 17, showing some faith that this group can be better than a year ago.
Most people don't see the Hornets as a title threat in the Eastern Conference this season, but if the team plays up to par, they could make the playoffs. Charlotte did reach the Play-In Tournament in the East last season, but they couldn't advance to the actual postseason bracket.
It has been a long time since the Hornets made the playoffs, with their last appearance coming during the 2015-16 season. Charlotte has seen a long decade-plus take place, but this new group is ready to kick off the next era of Hornets basketball.
Without Ball, Miller will have much more responsibility on his shoulders, and he will be asked to do more for the team. Miller has the talent to be the face of the franchise, but he will now have to establish himself as the full leader of this group.
Charlotte has all the confidence in the world that Miller can reach these heights, and they have given him the full opportunity to make it happen. But until the former No. 2 overall pick can prove himself on the court without Ball, there will be questions to be asked.
The entire team will be asked to do more, and if they can step up, Charlotte could be buzzing this season. But only time will tell how far this team can go this year.
The Hornets new era kicks off on October 21 when the team heads out on the road to face off against the Brooklyn Nets. Charlotte then returns for their home opener on October 23 against the Atlanta Hawks
