LeBron James, Steve Nash Make Bold Prediction About Hornets’ Young Duo

When LeBron James and Steve Nash got to the Charlotte Hornets on their Mind the Game podcast, both of them started with Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller.

A Hornets fan account reposted the clip on X at 2:18 p.m. ET Tuesday, with credit to the show. James is going into his first season with the Philadelphia 76ers. Nash won MVP twice with the Phoenix Suns and co-hosts the show with him.

For James, the starting point is the group that stayed from last season's 44-38 team.

"Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller, [the Hornets] are putting the keys into those guys' hands," James said. "You get a veteran in Naz Reid, which I really, really like."

"If they can pick up where they left off last year, they believe now," James continued. "The guys that were there last year, they actually believe, 'Okay, every night we go out, we have a chance if we play how we was playing... if we play this type of winning basketball, we're gonna give ourselves a good chance every night.' They're super intriguing."

Charlotte finished ninth in the Eastern Conference and lost the second of its two play-in games, on the road against the Orlando Magic. The franchise has not reached the playoffs since the 2015-16 season.

Naz Reid came to Charlotte in a trade the Hornets agreed to June 25 that sent LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Hornets also received a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps, and three second-round picks from Minnesota.

Three days later, Charlotte agreed to send Miles Bridges to Phoenix in a deal that brought back Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale.

Off the bench in all 77 of his appearances for Minnesota last season, Reid averaged 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. He won Sixth Man of the Year in 2023-24. Bleacher Report has him 82nd in its ranking of the league's players, one spot behind Oklahoma City's Ajay Mitchell.

Nash wants more responsibility from both, with Miller going into his fourth season and Knueppel his second.

"The intrigue is, how do Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel develop?" Nash said. "Because they're two guys that can be All-Stars, and do they continue to develop, take on more responsibility... that's where they're headed as a franchise."

"We're gonna back these two guys and see how good they can get," Nash continued. "Should be a fun year in Charlotte... it's that pairing that will lead