Kon Knueppel details his whirlwind month, which saw him win Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month and appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Knueppel admits to being nervous about the late-night appearance but calls being on the show a "cool experience." He stresses the need for the team to stick to their habits and "get better as a collective unit." By DIAMOND VENCES
Nearly two months of the Charlotte Hornets’ 2025-25 season is in the books.
Amid another slow start and with a seemingly revolving door thanks to the juggling of injured players once again, questions abound.
In this latest mailbag, we answer reader’s queries about the franchise’s stance with LaMelo Ball, whether the Hornets will re-sign Brandon Miller to a long-term deal, the team’s holiday wish list and more:
Hornets’ wish list
Ed Helinsky asks on X, formerly known as Twitter: What should be on the Hornets’ list for Santa this Christmas?
Ha, that’s easy. There really should be two things on the list. Everything else should be considered extra.
The first item is wins. This franchise needs victories, and lots of them. The Hornets haven’t come in enough bunches over the past nearly decade now, which is why the playoff drought is what it is. So, if you really want to turn it around, the only true way is in the win column.
The second thing on the list would be good health. That’s been nearly as common as a white Christmas in Charlotte. Whenever it seems like the Hornets on the right track, something happens to derail it almost every time. No team, perhaps outside of the Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks, have had a rougher bout with the injury bug than the Hornets over the past handful of years.
These two holiday wishes go hand-in-hand, and until the Hornets can boast a collective team full of healthy bodies for more than a game or two or three, it’s going to be hard to stockpile the first item on their Christmas list.
Brandon Miller
Mitchell asks on Blue Sky: Will Miller get extended?
From this vantage point, it would be stunning if that didn’t happen. While, yes, Brandon’s injury history has not been spotless in his two-plus seasons in the league, he is as key as anyone to the Hornets’ success. He’s their best two-way player. He can get to the basket, create his own shot or get one for others. He’s deadly at knocking down long jump shots.
Charlotte Hornets guard Brandon Miller during action against the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 7, 2025, at Spectrum Center. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
There’s not much he can’t do on the basketball court. For him, it’s more just about being able to stay on it — as in availability. There’s no question he’s one of the better, young talented players in this league. And beyond that, he cares deeply about being a professional basketball athlete, which is something that resonates with the franchise’s decision makers. They love what Brandon is all about and the expectation is for him to be with the Hornets for years to come.
Roster needs
David Inscoe asks on Blue Sky: What would be the next logical piece to add to this team?
Great question. Probably addressing the front line and figuring out exactly where an upgrade is needed most. Which currently is likely someone who would be closer to more of a traditional power forward than what the Hornets currently have on the roster.
Miles Bridges and Tidjane Salaün are currently getting the bulk of the minutes at the position now and they both have their moments. But when it comes to teams that may be a little bit bulkier down low, that’s when the Hornets tend to struggle by not being able to pull those bigger guys away from the basket consistently enough.
A perfect example came in Friday night’s loss to Chicago. The Hornets gave up 80 (!) points in the paint to the Bulls, and they don’t even possess a huge front line. That’s an area the Hornets have to shore up in order for them to hang with some of the league’s better teams.
LaMelo Ball’s future
@SESe7en3 asks on X: How does the franchise see LaMelo now? Part of the future? Face of franchise?
There’s nothing more the Hornets would like to see than for things to turn around and have LaMelo be at the forefront of that. They have a lot invested in him and he’s on a max contract. A franchise in a market this size doesn’t tap into the amount of resources the Hornets have over the past few years unless they want it to work long term.
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball reacts to being called for a foul during action against the New York Knicks on Nov. 26, 2025, at Spectrum Center. The Knicks defeated the Hornets 129-101. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Plus, they haven’t been able to completely see how the roster as a whole looks when healthy due to the constant shuffling of injured players in and out of the lineup. Josh Green just returned and Grant Williams is still on the mend. Until the roster has a chance to really be evaluated together with Ball leading the way, who knows how it all fits — Ball included.
Now, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a breaking point where the Hornets may believe it’s in the franchise’s best interests to reconstruct the roster and whether those plans should include Ball. But that would be more of a conversation that’s answered in the offseason when it’s easier for teams to make transactions based on expected draft capital, salary cap space, etc., rather than completely breaking it down immediately or leading into the February trade deadline.