Hornets Have “No Chance to Be Relevant” in the 2024–25 Season, Says Stephen A. Smith

The Charlotte Hornets have had a positive offseason so far. For starters, LaMelo Ball finally has ankle braces on and looks prepared for the 2024-25 season. On top of that, they still have some great pieces in Brandon Miller, Grant Williams, and Seth Curry, who have proven that they can make a great impact on winning. So, understandably, Hornets fans are hoping for big things next season.

However, Stephen A. Smith doesn’t think that Charlotte is capable of improving their last season’s record substantially next year.

On The Stephen A. Smith Show, a Hornets fan heard all this from Smith during a call-in segment after he admitted that he has high expectations for his team this season.

The ESPN analyst threw Charlotte right out of the window for the upcoming season. While he did admit that the franchise has a bright future, he boldly declared that they had no chance to even be relevant during the upcoming campaign.

“You [Hornets] got no chance to be relevant this upcoming season. I hope the future is bright. You got a new coach, still got LaMelo Ball… I hope the future is bright for you, but I don’t think you got a chance to make a leap this year. I don’t think you have that.”

Smith then moved on to teams that he did believe could make a leap. Initially, he mentioned the New Orleans Pelicans and the Houston Rockets as great suggestions from his producers. However, he also added the Sacramento Kings as his pick, saying,

“This brother, De’Aaron Fox… I’m of the mindset, Sacramento [Kings]! I’m just thinking along those lines. I could be wrong. But I’m thinking Sacramento.”

The Sacramento Kings are a very good pick to make a leap next year. After all, alongside their big-name players like Fox and Domantas Sabonis, they have also managed to keep important pieces in Malik Monk, Keegan Murray, and Harrison Barnes. And of course, they also brought in DeMar DeRozan this offseason.

So, his pick is hard to dismiss. However, his prediction on the Charlotte Hornets may be a bit too harsh.

As mentioned previously, the players the team has on its roster exude some very positive signs. Alongside this, they have also brought in Charles Lee as the head coach, one of Joe Mazzulla’s former assistants on the Boston Celtics.

Judging by the offseason footage so far, the Charlotte Hornets have already adopted a gritty defensive identity. And whenever LaMelo Ball was healthy last season, the team had proven to have a rather competent offense as well.

So it is still a bit early to rule out Charlotte.