The Charlotte Hornets confirmed clear progress throughout the 2025/26 season, rising their win whole from 19 to 44 and posting the league’s greatest web ranking from January by way of the tip of the common season.
Nevertheless, regardless of that enchancment, the staff’s playoff drought reached 10 consecutive years, the longest energetic streak within the NBA, after a heavy loss in Orlando, as famous by Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.
Head coach Charles Lee emphasised that the setback ought to function motivation shifting ahead, even whereas acknowledging how shut the staff got here to breaking by way of.
“You’re one step away from being within the playoffs, so I don’t wish to discredit that,” Lee stated, “however this has bought to harm a bit bit. And also you’ve bought to consider this offseason. While you’re within the weight room, while you’re on the courtroom. What am I going to do to go that further mile to get even higher, as a result of we had a ton of development this 12 months.
“I don’t need these guys to lose sight of the positives that they did do. I feel that the resilience of the staff, the competitiveness, the togetherness proceed to develop. And we earned a possibility to be proper there. So, ton of excellent, however that was not our greatest effort.”
Lee described the season as an essential constructing part for the franchise and inspired the group to hold that momentum ahead.
“Let this gasoline you,” Lee stated. “But in addition don’t take without any consideration the truth that you guys earned a ton of respect from everybody all through the league with how arduous you performed, how effectively you performed. And I feel that additionally they helped construct one other stepping stone for this group.”
Hornets Notes: Lee, Physicality, LaMelo, Knueppel, Offseason https://t.co/Ibx61uXykb pic.twitter.com/SJ2cKjplae
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) April 19, 2026
