A new era begins for the Charlotte Hornets in the 2024–25 season under head coach Charles Lee.

Lee comes to the team after serving as a championship-winning assistant with the Boston Celtics and hopes to hit the ground running in Charlotte after missing the playoffs for the eighth consecutive year.

The Hornets made few notable transfers in the offseason, but were able to re-sign a handful of free agents like Miles Bridges and Seth Curry. They didn’t sign any game-changing players, but a healthy roster is certainly one that can at least make a push for the playoffs.

Charlotte’s success will depend in large part on the health of star point guard LaMelo Ball, who played in just 22 games last season due to ankle problems. Over the past two seasons, the fourth-year player has been limited to just 58 games, though he has been extremely productive when he has been able to play.

Even if the Hornets can’t reach the championship this year, they could at least end their terrible playoff drought and start planning for the future.

Hornets 2024-25 Schedule Details

Season opening: at the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, October 23, at 8 p.m. ET

Championship odds: +100000 (Bet $100 to win $100,000), according to FanDuel

Full schedule: The full schedule is available on NBA.com.

The Hornets’ schedule doesn’t offer too many exciting matchups as they’ll likely finish near the bottom of the conference, but a battle between two division rivals could be interesting.

Both the Hornets and Hawks could be fighting for one of the last playoff spots, which could make the matchup even more exciting. Whoever wins the season series between the two could end up securing the final play-in tournament spot.

Aside from the fact that these matches have a lot at stake, it is also the first opportunity to see two promising young players compete against each other. Tidjane Salaün of Charlotte and Zaccharie Risacher of Atlanta, two newcomers from France, will look to defeat each other early on.

There could be an exciting duel between Risacher, the number 1 pick, and Salaün, the number 6 pick, in the coming years.

The Wizards are on the list of key matchups for the same reasons as the Hawks.

Washington is another playoff contender that will look to pick up wins wherever they can, but they will still do their best to beat the Hornets. The Wizards are also a member of a relatively weak Southeast Division, so this game will be another exciting divisional matchup.

It will also be another chance for Salaün to get an early win over another French rookie, Alex Sarr. Like Risacher, Salaün will be looking to prove he should have been selected earlier in the draft, and a win over Sarr could help him cement his position.

The 2024-25 season is certainly not a make or break for the Hornets. As long as they improve and move toward being playoff contenders, the year should be considered a success.

The key for this season will be keeping Ball healthy and continuing the development of second-year player Brandon Miller, Salaün and the rest of the young core.

The future looks bright in Charlotte. Lee has proven himself as an assistant and appears to be set up to succeed as a head coach, but that success likely won’t come immediately. The Hornets need to continue to trust the process and build for the future, and if they can do that, that could mean success in the future.

While one shouldn’t expect to see Charlotte at the top of the Eastern Conference, some improvement over last year’s 21-60 record is certainly in order.