Each NBA team’s projected starting lineup for 2023–24
By Cal Durrett
NBA Projected starting lineup: Charlotte Hornets
Point Guard: LaMelo Ball
Shooting Guard: Terry Rozier
Small Forward: Brandon Miller
Power Forward: PJ Washington
Center: Mark Williams
Charlotte rightly decided to tank after bad decisions and bad luck derailed their season. Miles Bridges missed all of last season, while Lamelo Ball played just 36 games. That resulted in them finishing with the fourth-worst record in the NBA and getting the second pick. Brandon Miller wasn’t perhaps the popular choice to be taken second, with Scoot Henderson still on the board, but he could still prove to be a great player.
His size as a 6’9 wing and his scoring ability should pair well with Ball. Both should create positional mismatches with their height, and with Bridges back as well as Washington, Charlotte could be surprisingly competitive on the offensive end of the floor.
Behemoth Mark Williams is expected to anchor their starting lineup. With Ball back to toss him lobs and more scoring punch in general, he should thrive in the role of roll-man as well as provide shot blocking and be able to corral rebounds. Charlotte probably still isn’t a playoff team this season. But their starting five feature more talent than one might expect from a team that won 27 games last year.