It’s been a rough couple years for the Hornets who are still trudging through their rebuild. LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller are great players, but injuries have slowed down their development.
The team has combined for 40 wins over the past two seasons and could be in for another tough year in 2025-26.
DraftKings Sportsbook projects Charlotte to win a couple more games with the total set at 24.5. Can the Hornets begin earning the dividends of their rebuild, or is it another year hoping for a top lottery pick?
If you’re interested in seeing any of the other NBA teams’ projected win totals, check out DKN‘s master list of the full 2025-2026 NBA projected win totals.
Charlotte Hornets 2025-2026 projected win total
Analysis
The Eastern Conference is weaker than ever before with Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton and Damian Lillard each tearing their Achilles. While Cleveland and New York are the favorites to win the East, there’s plenty of room to make some noise.
Will the Hornets be one of these teams making noise? Probably not in the playoffs, but perhaps in the regular season. Ball and Miller each had their best seasons before injuries took over, while Miles Bridges had his third season averaging 20 points per game.
The roster will look a bit different in 2025-26 as the Hornets traded away Mark Williams, the team’s starting center. Charlotte drafted Liam McNeeley with the first rounder it received in return and selected Kon Knueppel with its own No. 4 pick.
These two rookies will likely see key minutes in the rotation as Charlotte seeks any bit of help in its rebuild. Of course, a lot of the pressure is on Ball, Miller and Bridges to play at a high level. If they can exceed expectations and stay healthy, this team could see some progress.
Charlotte Hornets projected win total: Best bets, predictions
Charlotte Hornets Over 24.5 (-115)
The Hornets don’t give me much confidence, but this is a year they could capitalize on a weaker Eastern Conference. This doesn’t mean the Hornets will have a winning record or even make the playoffs. What it means is that weaker competition could lead to Charlotte winning more games.
The talent gap in the East isn’t that large, so there’s a better chance of the Hornets winning more games. The Cavaliers and Knicks lead the pack, but it shouldn’t be surprising to see a lot of teams with win totals in the high 30s to low 40s.
A more even distribution across the Eastern Conference will benefit the Hornets, even though they likely won’t make significant noise. Winning 25 games, however, is plenty doable as long as Ball, Miller and Bridges can stay on the floor together.