As red hot as the Hornets are right now, they're still a team trying to find its identity and place in the league. But utilizing this one key can separate them from the pack.
It’s a weird time we’re living in.
Artificial intelligence has played a major role in our lives and it’s starting to make important decisions in our day-to-day lives.
So what do you do when life decides to throw you a curve ball?
You either adapt or perish.
Ever since Jeff Peterson took over as General Manager of the Charlotte Hornets, he has leaned into data-driven scouting and advanced modeling to reshape the franchise.
The use of AI has found its way into NBA front offices, with Peterson and his staff openly carrying the baton as the lead in this development.
When the Hornets drafted Kon Knueppel fourth overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, it altered the course of, at least, the 2025-26 season.
Knueppel is on pace to shatter records whether it be 3-pointers made in a season by a rookie, or setting the league record of most 3-pointers made in 40 games in a season.
Recently, Hornets VP of Basketball Insights and Analysis Patrick Harrel credited AI for being the very reason why Knueppel is donning the teal and purple.
In a document from Invisible Technologies, a software company in San Francisco, Harrel offered a testimonial on Invisible, stating that their models helped target Knueppel as a main target in the draft.
What is interesting, however, is that the quote in the above post on X has since been edited, and now reads as such:
“Invisible’s computer vision models provided high quality data that played a key role in validating our 2025 draft analysis,” Harrel said. “The insights we gained proved incredibly valuable to our decision-making and we are excited to continue to work together.”
You can read the full document at this link.
Either way, for years, the Hornets brass has been slammed on how it evaluates players and the culture they set.
Since Peterson arrived, he has prioritized a modernized way of evaluation to turn the Hornets into a sustainable contender.
The strategy has paid off in immense ways as we approach the home stretch of the season.
A top-three ranked team in offensive efficiency, a top-five ranked team in outside shooting, turning a two-way player in Moussa Diabate into a pillar of the franchise, and making a strong push for its first playoff berth in 10 years.
But as former Hornets draftee Kobe Bryant famously said… the job’s not finished.
For a franchise that once trusted its instinct, it’s now diving into computer modeling to alter its course.
The goal hasn’t changed, but the process has. And we’re only in the beginning stages.