By January 30, 2025
Photo: Jacob Kupferman / AP
The Charlotte Hornets are officially past the halfway point of the 2024-25 season, so it’s time to pass out some midseason grades. In keeping with school traditions, every player and staff member will be listed in alphabetical order.
Each grade is based on my own grading system called the C.A.R.E. (Contextual Assessment of Role and Effectiveness). This system considers a player’s role, experience, personal circumstances, and expectations coming into the season. For example, a rookie who exceeds modest expectations might earn a higher grade than a starter who has underperformed, even if the starter is the better player. A player’s grade is also not affected by an injury.
LaMelo Ball: B+
After two injury-plagued seasons, Ball has made an impressive comeback this season. Now in his fifth year, and a veteran leader on the team, Ball has taken on a much bigger scoring role and currently leads the NBA in usage rate (35.8%). Averaging close to 29 points per game, he’s on pace to have the highest scoring average in Hornets history — a significant milestone, even in today’s NBA.
Ball has re-entered the All-Star conversation and reminded everyone of his incredible talent and potential. He’s improved in several areas on offense; drawing more fouls than ever, making the second-most three-pointers per game in the NBA, and hitting a career-best 47% of his mid-range shots, according to Cleaning the Glass. The next step for him will be to better handle tight game situations, improve his shot selection, and show more consistent effort on the defensive end.
Miles Bridges: C
After a tough start to the season, during which Bridges seemed unsure of his offensive role, the sixth-year forward has shown improvement in recent weeks. Both Bridges and Coach Charles Lee deserve credit for finding ways to better utilize his skillset, but this progress needs to be sustainable.
With Bridges earning over $25 million per year, the Hornets are paying for consistency and reliability, and they can’t afford extended stretches of ineffective play like they saw in the first two months of the season. When Bridges plays with defensive intensity, attacks the rim, and shoots efficiently from three, he’s a valuable player. The problem is, those three elements rarely come together at the same time.
Seth Curry: C+
Despite shooting an impressive 46.2% from three, Seth Curry has struggled to earn consistent minutes. When he’s been on the court, he’s performed well, but Charles Lee has favored more defensive-minded options at shooting guard such as Cody Martin and Josh Green, or has prioritized giving prospect Nick Smith Jr. more opportunities.
Curry (who is now in his 11th season), much like Taj Gibson, was brought in not only to provide depth and three-point shooting, but also to serve as a locker room veteran. However, it’s hard to be overly positive about a player who isn’t in the regular rotation.
Moussa Diabate: B+
With a motor that leaps off the court, Moussa Diabate has maximized his minutes, making a clear impact with his relentless effort on the glass. He currently leads the NBA in offensive rebounding percentage (minimum 500 minutes), grabbing 15.8% of his team’s misses. While Diabate is a bit undersized as a post defender, his ability to switch onto guards with his 7-foot-3 wingspan, combined with high block and steal rates, makes him a disruptive presence on defense.
“CALL THE GAME WARDEN, WE’VE GOT A MOOSE ON THE LOOSE” 🤣
Moussa Diabaté’s jam has Eric Collins HYPED 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/miPot7YZgL
— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 30, 2025
However, he’s turning the ball over on 22.4% of his possessions which ranks in the bottom five in the NBA. His offensive game is limited to lay-ups and put-backs, and he’s also only shooting 54.3% from the free-throw line. Despite his weaknesses, the positives have far outweighed the negatives, making Diabate one of the few bright spots this season.
Taj Gibson: C+
The Hornets have long needed a veteran presence in the locker room, and Taj Gibson has filled that role admirably. He took the lead by initiating the players-only meeting after the loss to Houston in December and has provided valuable mentorship to the younger players.
While nobody expected him to see much playing time, injuries to Mark Williams and Nick Richards forced the veteran into action. On the court, he’s been as limited as you’d expect for someone his age (39), but his impact off the court has been significant. This grade reflects his overall contribution, both on and off the floor.
Josh Green: C-
Josh Green has been remarkably consistent in both positive and negative ways. He’s clearly Charlotte’s hardest-working perimeter defender, setting the tone by fighting over screens all night and taking on the toughest matchups. However, offensively, he’s been almost a non-factor outside of knocking down wide-open corner threes.
Combining those two aspects, it becomes clear that Green might be overstretched as a starter, which is why he came off the bench in Dallas. His finishing at the rim has dropped significantly this season, falling from a career average of 72% to just 53%, according to Cleaning the Glass. Some of that is on Green, who has been hesitant to attack the rim even when he has an advantage. But the Hornets’ slow pace has limited his transition opportunities, which previously helped his efficiency. Poor spacing (24th in three-point percentage) has also allowed defenders to pack the paint, making it harder for him to score inside.
DaQuan Jeffries: B
When Jeffries was traded to Charlotte in the preseason and broke his finger in his second game, it seemed almost certain he would be waived. However, the Hornets showed patience, and it looks like it’s paying off.
Jeffries hasn’t received consistent minutes, but when he has gotten the chance, he’s made an impact. He’s an athletic, two-way small forward with a strong motor, and he’s shooting an impressive 42.4% from three. Based on his performance, he should have been ahead of Salaun in the rotation the entire season, but it’s only recently that Lee has leaned on Jeffries, with Salaun assigned to Greensboro. It’s no surprise the Hornets’ most competitive spell of the season has come with Salaun out of the lineup and Jeffries filling in admirably.
Charles Lee (Head Coach): B-
After an impressive first 10 games where Charlotte was seemingly in every contest, the Hornets lost their way in December. So far, Lee has managed to get the Hornets’ defense to overperform while the offense has underperformed.
Offensively, he’s established a clear style of play: the team ranks sixth in three-point attempts, fourth in offensive rebounds, and first in pick-and-roll frequency. The problem is that this hasn’t resulted in efficient scoring, as they’re currently 28th in effective field goal percentage.
On defense, the focus has been on transition, challenging non-shooters to score, and using heavy drop coverage with the bigs. The Hornets have played at a frustratingly slow pace for much of the season, which has helped their defense but hindered the offense. However, their pace has picked up a bit recently. Despite the limitations in talent, the team has overachieved defensively, as they currently rank 18th in the league in points allowed per 100 possessions.
Overall, the results haven’t been there, but considering the injuries and it being his first season as a head coach, he’s done a formidable job.
Tre Mann: A-
President of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson heavily praised Mann during training camp, and he delivered, having a breakout season as an early contender for Sixth Man of the Year before a back injury sidelined him after just 13 games.
In the first nine games of the season when fully healthy, he averaged 15.9 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.2 rebounds, while shooting 46% from the field and 40% from three on five attempts per game. Back injuries can be tricky (just ask Mark Williams), and Mann will be hoping to return soon and regain his form, especially with restricted free agency approaching this offseason.
Cody Martin: B-
Having his healthiest season in three years, Martin has been a key contributor off the bench. Should he have gotten a shot in the regular starting lineup this year? Maybe, but Coach Lee has stuck with the new addition, Josh Green.
Martin’s versatility on defense has remained impactful, but his offense has been inconsistent. After shooting 40% from three in the first 16 games, his percentage has dropped to just 26% over the last 22 games. At this point, the team may lean towards picking up his $8.6 million player option for next season, but it could go either way.
Vasilije Micic: D+
When Charlotte made the trade last season with Oklahoma City, Vasilije Micic was an intriguing player. Despite a solid end to last season that showed promise as a reliable and creative backup point guard, Micic has looked completely out of his depth this year.
Starting the season out of shape, his slow and cumbersome style has made him look older than his age (31) on the court. Strangely, he’s played much better when starting in place of Ball and has struggled mightily when coming off the bench. His scoring has been entirely reliant on his unreliable three-point shot (33.3%), and his positive playmaking has been negated by his assist-to-turnover ratio (0.86).
Brandon Miller: B-
Before a season-ending wrist injury, Charles Lee stretched Miller’s game outside of his comfort zone as a scorer. His usage jumped from 23.5% to 27% and his playmaking responsibilities also saw a significant increase. His shooting efficiency has suffered though, and turnovers have spiked, but those growing pains are expected for a young player. Will giving him these reps help him develop in the long run, or are his performances this season a sign that perhaps his development curve might not be as high as fans first thought? We will have to wait until the 2026-27 season to find out.
Jeff Peterson (President of Basketball Operations): B (Incomplete)
It’s simply too early to make any sweeping judgements on Peterson’s performance so far. We don’t yet know how the draft class, the hiring of the head coach, or the roster moves will pan out. Peterson traded Richards at the height of his value, netting two good second-round picks and forward Josh Okogie who has performed exceptionally well.
His biggest win so far might be Moussa Diabate, who went from being overlooked this summer to proving himself as a solid backup center. We’ll likely see him get converted to a standard NBA contract later this season, possibly after the trade deadline. The other major addition was Josh Green who always brings great defensive effort, but his overall impact has been inconsistent.
While the on-court changes may not have been groundbreaking, Peterson’s front office creatively leveraged cap space to net six second-round picks in the off-season without giving up a single player.
Josh Okogie: A-
Initially viewed as a “throw-in” with the Nick Richards trade, there’s an argument to be made that Okogie has been Charlotte’s fifth-best player since the deal was made. His 44% shooting from three-point range is unlikely to last (his career average is 30.1%), but his high-energy style of play should remain consistent, even if his three steals per game dip. The big question now is: Does Okogie’s breakout make Cody Martin or Josh Green replaceable, or has he simply boosted his own trade value as the deadline approaches? Either way, his play has contributed to the best stretch of the Hornets’ season.
In addition to scoring his season-high 19 points (in a Hornets uniform), Josh Okogie’s four steals against the Lakers, marks his fourth straight game with three-plus steals – the longest streak since Gerald Wallace (7) in 2007. pic.twitter.com/VBBzZ2UgSZ
— CLTure® ( culture ) (@CLTure) January 28, 2025
Tidjane Salaun: C
As the youngest player on a full NBA contract, Salaun, seen as a long-term project, was always expected to spend time developing in the G League. However, due to Grant Williams’ injury, he’s been forced into action sooner than expected, and that has not gone as well as the team hoped.
Offensively, he’s been inefficient from every spot on the floor, and at one point even held the worst field goal percentage in the entire NBA. That said, the eye test shows real potential in his three-point shot, despite what the numbers suggest. Defensively, he’s been surprisingly solid, both from a team and individual standpoint.
No one will be celebrating this as a good pick based on the first half of his rookie season, but there have been moments where you can see Peterson’s vision for a 6’9” power forward with defensive versatility and the ability to stretch the floor.
KJ Simpson: B
After starting the year out of the rotation, Simpson has, at times, overtaken former Euroleague MVP Micic as the team’s backup point guard. The first thing that jumps out is his on-ball defense, as he plays in that McConnell/Alvarado style of being a defensive pest. He’s done a solid job running the second unit and playmaking for others, but his major flaw is his inability to score efficiently with a true shooting percentage of 38.4%. There’s some room for optimism offensively, with Simpson finding success in Greensboro as a slasher who has gotten to the free-throw line fairly often. Scoring will be Simpson’s swing skill moving forward, but he needs to figure out a way to become more efficient as a small guard.
One thing Charles Lee and his coaching staff have emphasized and place a lot of value on us perimeter players fighting over/through screens.
KJ Simpson does just that on this play, takes a certain level of toughness, technique and mindset to do this pic.twitter.com/EHkKquCcZo
— James Plowright (@British_Buzz) December 4, 2024
Nick Smith Jr.: C-
We might look back at January 2025 as the turning point for Nick Smith Jr. He went from being assigned to the G League to now starting in place of the injured Brandon Miller.
While his impact is still largely limited to being a jump-shooting scorer, that’s exactly what the Hornets’ offense has needed. For Smith Jr. to solidify himself as a nightly rotation player, he must improve his playmaking, defense, or find a way to be more effective around the rim. He’s only attempted five free throws in 375 minutes this season, which highlights his struggles to finish inside.
If this grade were based solely on January, it would be a B+, but since this grade reflects the entire half-season, his first two months were largely forgettable.
Grant Williams: B+
Before his injury, Grant Williams had an immense impact for the Hornets, even outplaying Miles Bridges. He remains second on the team in net rating (excluding Josh Okogie) with Charlotte 10.2 points better when he’s on the floor, according to Cleaning the Glass. The stats back up the eye test too, as his physicality and communication helped neutralize players like Giannis, while his offensive decision-making in ball screens and ability to stretch the floor gave opposing teams constant problems.
With Williams in the lineup, the Hornets were 6-10; without him, they’ve gone 6-21. His absence has been a significant blow to the team’s performance.
Mark Williams: B+
After missing the start of the season due to a foot sprain suffered before training camp, Williams has performed well upon his return. Offensively, he’s been exceptional, providing an interior presence the Hornets have desperately needed. He’s also tripled his assist rate, demonstrating the ability to make quick decisions in the short roll and forming an intimidating pick-and-roll partnership with Ball.
He’s a nightmare for opposing teams on the boards, ranking in the top 10 in both defensive and offensive rebounding for the season. The only thing holding this grade back from being an A is his interior defense, as opposing guards and bigs have consistently found ways to score on him inside.
Still, for Williams to look this good after such a long time off is incredibly promising and makes you excited about his overall upside.
Isaiah Wong: B
A late addition to the Hornets roster in December, Isaiah Wong has shown flashes of impressive on-ball defensive pressure and the ability to get into the paint to score. Despite being in his second year in the league, Wong is already 24 years old — five years older than rookie Salaun. He can score and defend at an NBA level, but has struggled to create for others effectively, often with the tendency to overdribble. After briefly pushing Micic and Smith Jr. out of the rotation, he now appears behind both of them on the depth chart, playing mostly in the G League.
“Where you been all my life Isaiah Wong!?” 🔥
Incredible sequence of plays by the rookie ✨ pic.twitter.com/nv6D4pN7DG
— NBA TV (@NBATV) December 7, 2024
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