Grant Williams believes the Charlotte Hornets have enough depth and shooting to surprise teams during the 2026-27 NBA season.
Speaking about the roster, Williams highlighted the talent throughout the team while acknowledging the departures of LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges during the offseason.
“Our depth is ridiculous,” Williams said on No Dunks, via HoopsHype. “I was talking to all of our coaches the other day and just looking at the talent on the roster, the ability to shoot the ball, I think that we have a great chance to surprise a lot of people.”
Charlotte traded Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Bridges to the Phoenix Suns during the offseason, moving on from two of its most important contributors from last season. Ball averaged 20.1 points and 7.1 assists in 72 games in 2025-26, while Bridges averaged 17.1 points and 5.8 rebounds in 77 games.
The Hornets went 44-38 last season but remained outside the playoffs after losing in the Play-In Tournament. They have since reshaped the roster around Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel while adding several experienced players.
Williams believes the new additions can help compensate for the production lost through the departures of Ball and Bridges.
“We did lose two of, you know, important players for us in LaMelo and Miles, guys who are going to make huge impacts in their respective teams that they’re about to play on,” Williams said. “But to replace them with the players and the character of guys that we have coming in, I think that, you know, the guys that were already here are going to take a huge step.”
Miller enters his third NBA season after averaging 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 38.3% from three-point range in 65 games last season. Knueppel, meanwhile, averaged 18.5 points and shot 42.5% from three as a rookie, finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting.
Coby White is also expected to have a larger role after re-signing with Charlotte on a three-year, $74 million contract. White averaged 15.6 points in 21 games for the Hornets after arriving from Chicago and had previously been a 15-point scorer as a starter with the Bulls.
Charlotte also added Naz Reid, Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale, Dorian Finney-Smith and Dennis Schroder during the offseason, giving coach Charles Lee several experienced options around the young core.
Williams believes the combination of talent and familiarity could create a strong team dynamic.
“I think that the group is going to really get along, but I think that synergy is going to bring a lot of competitive joy out,” Williams said. “This Hornets team is going to be very fun to watch and it’s going to be hyper competitive.”
