Hornets 2023-24 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds and Record Predictions

The Charlotte Hornets are a team in transition, but one thing is clear: LaMelo Ball is officially the team's franchise cornerstone.

Ball inked a five-year, $260 million supermax extension this offseason, cementing him as the team's top player for seasons to come.

The question, however, is how the rest of the team will shape up.

Charlotte hopes that Alabama forward Brandon Miller, who it selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, can serve as Ball's wingman. He has tremendous two-way potential and could easily become a perennial All-Star on the next level if he fulfills his immense potential.

But there's plenty of questions elsewhere.

Charlotte has a host of players 22 years old or younger on the roster, and it remains to be seen how they develop and who sticks around long term. That group includes James Bouknight, Mark Williams, Kai Jones, 2023 first-round pick Nick Smith Jr., JT Thor, Bryce McGowens and Amari Bailey.

One would assume veteran forward Gordon Hayward's time with the time is nearing its end, as he has just one year left on his deal. Veteran guard Terry Rozier has three more years left on his deal, but like Heyward, he doesn't really seem to fit on a roster that's filled with young players and far away from contending.

The team welcomes back forward Miles Bridges, who sat out all of 2022-23 season after being arrested in June 2022 on three domestic violence-related charges following an alleged assault of his then-girlfriend in front of their two children.

He was released after posting a $130,000 bond and pled no-contest to one felony domestic violence charge. A judge sentenced Bridges to three years probation with no jail time. The NBA suspended him for 30 games, 10 of which will be served in 2023-24.

Bridges is back with the team on a one-year deal after signing a $7.9 million qualifying offer.

As the team in transition moves forward, the Hornets are also undergoing a change in leadership after a group led by Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin bought the team for approximately $3 billion from basketball legend Michael Jordan this summer.

Overall, this looks to be a clear rebuilding year for the Hornets, who are searching for their first playoff appearance since 2016.

Here's a look at the team's schedule, championship odds, some top matchups and a record prediction.

2023-24 Hornets Schedule Details

Season Opener: vs. Atlanta Hawks (Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. ET)

Championship Odds: +50000 (bet $100 to win $50,000), per FanDuel

Full Schedule: The full schedule is available on NBA.com.

Top Matchups

San Antonio Spurs

Frankly, any game featuring San Antonio Spurs superstar big man Victor Wembanyama will get some buzz, but this one will feature the top two 2023 draft picks doing battle with Miller aboard the Hornets.

The two faced off once in the summer league, with neither player faring particularly well. However, both players did far better later in summer action, and it's certainly possible they bring their A-games for this one.

Portland Trail Blazers

This game won't have as much hype as the Spurs matchup, but it will still feature the two players who jostled for position all summer to be the No. 2 draft pick. That ended up going to Miller despite Scoot Henderson having the lead for much of the pre-draft process.

Henderson was an easy choice for the Blazers to make at No. 3 overall, and he looks the part based on his summer league outings. Like the Spurs game, this could be a great matchup featuring two potential superstars going at it.

Season Outlook

The Hornets' long-term future looks bright if Ball stays healthy, Miller pans out, a few of their younger players develop into solid players and Charlotte uses its draft picks wisely. That could certainly all come to fruition, but for now, it's hard seeing the Hornets make much headway in a difficult Eastern Conference to navigate. Plenty of teams are already within their championship windows, while other younger teams are further along in their development. And then there are teams in limbo who should at least be competitive thanks to some talented veterans.

The Hornets, meanwhile, are bound to go through some serious growing pains in 2023-24. Don't expect that to be the case much longer this decade, however.