Charles Barkley is optimistic about Charlotte’s position in the 2026 playoffs
The Charlotte Hornets are 19-28 as the NBA season reaches the halfway mark. At the same time, they get a a big boost from the recent play by LaMelo Ball. There is still plenty of time for something to happen, and Charles Barkley speak it into existence.
Barkley is adamant that the Hornets will do in 2026 NBA playoffsas he noted on Inside the NBA.
“Change it, the Hornets are going to be in the playoffs,” Barkley said via per r/CharlotteHornets on X, formerly Twitter. He previously had Charlotte as a lock for the play-in tournament.
🗣 Charles Barkley: “Change… Hornets will be in the playoffs!” https://t.co/IVsmZPMbDK pic.twitter.com/RkDR0kKsvJ3
— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) January 29, 2026
With their record, Charlotte is in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, behind the Atlanta Hawks (23-25) and the Chicago Bulls (23-23). A coveted 10th place finish is necessary to qualify for the play-in tournament.
In addition to Ball, Charlotte has a significant number of assets working in her favour. Brandon Miller have a great year averaging 20.5 points per game. Ball is averaging 19.1 points and 7.6 assists per game.
Additionally, Charlotte has a terrific newcomer in Kon Knuepel, who recently was selected for the NBA Rising Star Game during All-Star weekend. He averages 18.8 points per game. Also, veteran guard Collin Sexton is averaging 13.7 points per game and shooting nearly 40% from the 3-point line.
Overall, Charlotte is emerging as an efficient defensive-minded team, especially by limiting opponents’ 3-point attempts.
Moreover, they they have the 10th best defense in the league as of Nov. 28, per Jason Jones of the Athletics. Before Monday, Charlotte was third in offensive efficiency at 118.2 points per 100 possessions.
If their young, developing core holds strong, Charlotte could be in the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
2026-01-29 01:35:00
