Hornets Must Make a Lineup Change, but Benching Sion James Isn’t the Answer

James is not the main issue

The Hornets’ preferred starting lineup has been available for only six minutes, so the team has had to improvise. James and Grayson Allen are starting, though ideally both would come off the bench.

James has a 44.5% true shooting mark and a negative net rating. Still, Cleaning the Glass puts Charlotte 1.3 points better during his minutes, with his defense helping offset offensive struggles. Starting Allen instead of Kon Knueppel when Brandon Miller returns is another possibility, but Allen’s minutes show a comparatively small difference: plus-2.8.

Kalkbrenner’s case grows

The proposed change is to start Ryan Kalkbrenner instead of Moussa Diabaté. Last season, Diabaté took Kalkbrenner’s place and the Hornets improved; this year, their roles appear to have reversed.

Diabaté posted a plus-10.7 on/off mark last season, but Charlotte is minus-21.5 with him this year. The article translates that figure to minus-37 expected wins, while suggesting his previous results may have benefited from playing alongside LaMelo Ball.

Kalkbrenner ranks sixth in the NBA in on/off, at plus-29.3. The five players listed ahead of him are Victor Wembanyama, Luka Doncic, Alex Caruso, Dylan Harper and Ryan Dunn.

Minutes and sample size matter

Kalkbrenner’s standout numbers could partly reflect limited playing time. He averages nearly 19 minutes per game, however, compared with Diabaté’s 29, so his role is not limited to brief appearances.

When Diabaté was unavailable, Kalkbrenner started and helped a heavily injured Charlotte team defeat a fully healthy Cleveland Cavaliers side. That performance adds support to a change as the Hornets look for answers.