The 2026-27 season started off on a strong note for the Charlotte Hornets, who defeated the Brooklyn Nets, 110-103 on Wednesday night, marking the sixth straight season-opening win for the franchise.
Some members of our staff pitched in their thoughts on what we learned from the first game of the season.
Schuyler Callihan: Naz Reid is going to be really good in this system
I felt pretty strongly about Reid's addition to the roster, but until you actually see it live and in a game that actually counts, you just don't know. It's only one game, but Naz looked super comfortable with the ball in his hands and, at times, was the focal point of the offense. He finished the night a few assists shy of a triple-double, dropping 20 points (7/11 FG), 11 rebounds, and seven assists.
Losing LaMelo Ball certainly hurts this team's play creation, but I think there's a good chance that when we look back at that trade four to five years from now, it won't be as lopsided as it seemed when the deal was made. Naz Reid is going to be a big part of this franchise taking that next step.
Zach Roberts: The Hornets are deep, but they're not strong at the top
The Hornets tried to improve their depth over the offseason, and they succeeded at that. The players they brought in featured in a really well-rounded offensive attack. But Brandon Miller was supposed to be the head of that. It was a bad night for him against what didn't appear to be a terrific Nets team. Obviously, there’s enough talent to survive bad nights, but Miller just signed a $209 million deal, so following that up with a stinker is far from ideal.
Evan Campos: New season, same winning formula
Despite missing two of their three best offensive players, Charlotte was able to score enough points to win by leaning on the egalitarian style of basketball that head coach Charles Lee and his staff established as a tenet of their winning ways last season.
Even with the turnovers and inefficiency, the Hornets' collective buy-in to trusting the pass will give them a solid floor for creating clean looks on a possession-by-possession basis, even if their offensive ceiling is lower this year.
Other hallmarks that led to Charlotte's success last campaign were simply making more three-pointers than their opponent and not losing the possession battle. The Hornets did both against Brooklyn, and so far, so good with that formula translating into wins in 2026-27.
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