The Hornets traded away two starters this summer in LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, but Coby White is confident the team can rise up the Eastern Conference standings in 2026/27, according to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.
“I think we’ve got a really, really good team,” White told Boone. “We’ve got a lot of really, really good players. I think we got a lot of unselfish players, so that’ll make it easy in terms of coming together. A lot of us are already here now in Charlotte working out, so that’s a major step in — what is it, August?
“You don’t see that a lot in the NBA, so that already shows individually how bought in each player is. So for us, it’s just about doing it together, doing it as a collective, getting better each and every day on the court, off the court. Because I think we all value getting to that brotherhood off the court as well. It’s just as important as doing stuff on the court.”
White, who was acquired by Charlotte ahead of the February trade deadline and re-signed with the Hornets this offseason on a three-year, $74MM deal, has high expectations for the upcoming season.
“We’ve got a chance to be a really good team and surprise a lot of people, but we’ve got to put the work in,” White said. “And what comes with the work is doing what we’re doing now.”
As Boone writes, the Hornets have the longest active playoff drought in the NBA at 10 years and the East looks quite strong. White acknowledged the apparent strength of the conference but believes the competition will only help the team grow.
While the Hornets moved on from Ball and Bridges in separate deals, those trades brought back Naz Reid, Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale and draft assets, Boone notes. White reiterated that several players on the roster are already getting to know one another.
“Being here is important,” White said. “It’s important right now, especially when you’ve got not a totally different team, but you got some new individuals joining the team. Grayson Allen’s here as well. The rookies are here. Dorian Finney-Smith is here. You don’t normally see that during the summer. So, I think it’s important for us to just gain some traction going into the training camp. It’s going to be dope.
“A lot of guys being here this early, not just being here, but you start stuff early — the locker room talks, the meal room talks. And all that stuff is important. So, yeah, exciting times for sure.”
White called Reid “super talented” and praised the big man’s “unique skill set.” He also spoke extensively about Allen, whose teams have made the playoffs in six of his eight years in the league.
“The one thing I’ve always noticed about G.A. is his ability to impact winning,” White said. “Everywhere he’s gone, he’s won. Whether it’s Milwaukee. … he’s been a winner everywhere he goes. He’s been part of a winning culture. He’s been part of a winning organization. So I think first and foremost, he knows what winning looks like, and he knows what it takes to win at this level. I think obviously being one of the best shooters in the NBA is going to help us a ton.
“And something that’s underrated about him is his ability to put the ball on the floor, play-make as well, get into the paint. He has a variety of finishes, slow step finishes around the rim, great touch. He has a lot of game, obviously, but I think everybody sees him as just a shooter. But he’s a guy who’s like an elite competitor. He’s a guy that can put the ball on the floor, play-make, get in the paint, finish around the rim, like I said. So yeah, I’m excited to share the floor with him.”