2020–21 Charlotte Hornets season

The 2020–21 Charlotte Hornets season is the 31st season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Hornets are coached by James Borrego, currently in his third season as the team's head coach.

2020–21 Charlotte Hornets season
Head coach	James Borrego
General manager	Mitch Kupchak
Owners	Michael Jordan
Arena	Spectrum Center
Results
Record	10–13 (.435)
Place	Division: 2nd (Southeast) Conference: 10th (Eastern)
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	Fox Sports Carolinas, Fox Sports Southeast
Radio	WFNZ

Following the 2019–20 NBA season, the Hornets qualified as a lottery team, receiving the 3rd overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft lottery.[1]

The Hornets selected LaMelo Ball with the 3rd pick in the 2020 NBA draft, followed by Vernon Carey Jr. and Grant Riller in the second round.[2] In a draft-night trade, the Hornets also acquired Nick Richards from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick.[3]

On November 30, in a sign-and-trade deal, the Hornets acquired Gordon Hayward and two future second-round draft picks from the Boston Celtics in exchange for a protected 2022 second-round draft pick.[4]

NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/club team
1	3	LaMelo Ball	PG	United States	Illawarra Hawks
2	32	Vernon Carey Jr.	C	United States	Duke
2	56	Grant Riller	PG	United States	College of Charleston

Roster

Roster listing

Charlotte Hornets roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY-MM-DD) From G 2 Ball, LaMelo 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-08-22 SPIRE Academy (OH) C 8 Biyombo, Bismack 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1992-08-28 Republic of the Congo F 0 Bridges, Miles 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1998-03-21 Michigan State F/C 22 Carey Jr., Vernon 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 270 lb (122 kg) 2001-02-25 Duke G 30 Darling, Nate (TW) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1998-08-30 Delaware G 4 Graham, Devonte' 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1995-02-22 Kansas F 20 Hayward, Gordon 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1990-03-23 Butler F 10 Martin, Caleb 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1995-09-28 Nevada F 11 Martin, Cody 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1995-09-28 Nevada F/C 6 McDaniels, Jalen 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1998-01-31 San Diego State G 1 Monk, Malik 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1998-02-04 Kentucky C 14 Richards, Nick 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1997-11-29 Kentucky G 7 Riller, Grant (TW) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1997-02-08 College of Charleston G 3 Rozier, Terry 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1994-03-17 Louisville F 25 Washington, P. J. 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1998-08-23 Kentucky F/C 40 Zeller, Cody 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1992-10-05 Indiana	Head coach James Borrego Assistant coach(es) Dutch Gaitley Jay Hernandez Chad Iske Armon Johnson Ronald Nored Jay Triano Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended (GL) On assignment to G League affiliate (TW) Two-way affiliate player Injured Roster Last transaction: December 20, 2020

Standings

Southeast Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div	GP
Atlanta Hawks	11	12	.478	0.0	6–7	5–5	1–2	23
Charlotte Hornets	10	13	.435	1.0	5–7	5–6	4–1	23
Orlando Magic	9	15	.375	2.5	5–8	4–7	4–1	24
Miami Heat	8	14	.364	2.5	6–7	2–7	2–3	22
Washington Wizards	5	14	.263	4.0	2–7	3–7	1–5	19

Eastern Conference
#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	GP
1	Philadelphia 76ers *	17	7	.708	–	24
2	Milwaukee Bucks *	15	8	.652	1.5	23
3	Boston Celtics	12	9	.571	3.5	21
4	Brooklyn Nets	14	11	.560	3.5	25
5	Indiana Pacers	12	11	.522	4.5	23
6	Atlanta Hawks *	11	12	.478	5.5	23
7	New York Knicks	11	13	.458	6.0	24
8	Toronto Raptors	10	13	.435	6.5	23
9	Charlotte Hornets	10	13	.435	6.5	23
10	Cleveland Cavaliers	10	14	.417	7.0	24
11	Chicago Bulls	9	13	.409	7.0	22
12	Orlando Magic	9	15	.375	8.0	24
13	Miami Heat	8	14	.364	8.0	22
14	Washington Wizards	5	14	.263	9.5	19
15	Detroit Pistons	5	18	.217	11.5	23

Game log

Preseason

2020 preseason game log Total: 1–3 (Home: 0-2; Road: 1–1)
Preseason: 1–3 (Home: 0–2; Road: 1–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 December 12 Toronto L 100–111 Miles Bridges (12) LaMelo Ball (10) LaMelo Ball (4) Spectrum Center 0–1 2 December 14 Toronto L 109–112 McDaniels, Rozier (15) Bridges, Washington (6) Graham, Hayward (6) Spectrum Center 0–2 3 December 17 @ Orlando W 123–115 Terry Rozier (20) Terry Rozier (7) Devonte' Graham (6) Amway Center 1–2 4 December 19 @ Orlando L 117–120 Devonte' Graham (25) Miles Bridges (15) Terry Rozier (6) Amway Center 1–3
2020–21 season schedule

Regular season

2020–21 game log Total: 10-13; Home: 5–7; Road: 5–6)
December: 2–2 (Home: 1–1; Road: 1–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 December 23 @ Cleveland L 114–121 Terry Rozier (42) Miles Bridges (6) Devonte' Graham (10) Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse 300 0–1 2 December 26 Oklahoma City L 107–109 Terry Rozier (19) Bismack Biyombo (9) Devonte' Graham (10) Spectrum Center 0 0–2 3 December 27 Brooklyn W 106–104 Gordon Hayward (28) P. J. Washington (12) Gordon Hayward (7) Spectrum Center 0 1–2 4 December 30 @ Dallas W 118–99 LaMelo Ball (22) Miles Bridges (16) Ball, Graham (5) American Airlines Center 0 2–2
January : 7–9 (Home: 4–4; Road: 3–5) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 5 January 1 Memphis L 93–108 Bismack Biyombo (16) LaMelo Ball (6) Bismack Biyombo (12) Spectrum Center 0 2–3 6 January 2 @ Philadelphia L 112–127 Terry Rozier (35) Devonte' Graham (9) Bismack Biyombo (9) Wells Fargo Center 0 2–4 7 January 4 @ Philadelphia L 101–118 Gordon Hayward (18) Hayward, Washington (8) LaMelo Ball (9) Wells Fargo Center 0 2–5 8 January 6 @ Atlanta W 102–94 Gordon Hayward (44) P. J. Washington (10) Devonte' Graham (7) State Farm Arena 0 3–5 9 January 8 @ New Orleans W 118–110 Gordon Hayward (26) LaMelo Ball (10) LaMelo Ball (9) Smoothie King Center 759 4–5 10 January 9 Atlanta W 113–105 Terry Rozier (23) LaMelo Ball (12) Lamelo Ball (11) Spectrum Center 0 5–5 11 January 11 New York W 109–88 Gordon Hayward (34) LaMelo Ball (14) Ball, Graham (7) Spectrum Center 0 6–5 12 January 13 Dallas L 93–104 Terry Rozier (18) P. J. Washington (10) Devonte' Graham (7) Spectrum Center 0 6–6 13 January 14 @ Toronto L 108–111 Terry Rozier (22) P. J. Washington (11) LaMelo Ball (7) Amalie Arena 0 6–7 14 January 16 @ Toronto L 113–116 Gordon Hayward (25) P. J. Washington (12) Devonte' Graham (7) Amalie Arena 0 6–8 – January 20 Washington Postponed (COVID-19) [5] (Makeup date: February 7)[6] 15 January 22 Chicago L 110–123 Gordon Hayward (34) Bismack Biyombo (10) Devonte' Graham (6) Spectrum Center 0 6–9 16 January 24 @ Orlando W 107–104 Gordon Hayward (39) Gordon Hayward (9) LaMelo Ball (8) Amway Center 0 7–9 17 January 25 @ Orlando L 108–117 Hayward, Rozier (24) Biyombo, Zeller (7) Ball, Hayward, Washington (4) Amway Center 3,167 7–10 18 January 27 Indiana L 106–116 Terry Rozier (20) Cody Zeller (14) Ball, Graham (5) Spectrum Center 0 7–11 19 January 29 Indiana W 108–105 Rozier, Washington (19) P. J. Washington (9) Devonte' Graham (10) Spectrum Center 0 8–11 20 January 30 Milwaukee W 126–114 Ball, Hayward (27) Cody Zeller (15) LaMelo Ball (9) Spectrum Center 0 9–11
February: 1–2 (Home: 0–2; Road: 1–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 21 February 1 @ Miami W 129–121 Malik Monk (36) Cody Zeller (12) LaMelo Ball (7) American Airlines Arena 0 10–11 22 February 3 Philadelphia L 111–118 Ball, Hayward (22) Bridges, Zeller (8) Gordon Hayward (9) Spectrum Center 0 10–12 23 February 5 Utah L 121–138 LaMelo Ball (34) Gordon Hayward (10) LaMelo Ball (8) Spectrum Center 0 10–13 24 February 7 Washington Spectrum Center 25 February 8 Houston Spectrum Center 26 February 10 @ Memphis FedEx Forum 27 February 12 Minnesota Spectrum Center
2020–21 season schedule

Player statistics

Player	Pos.	GP	GS	MP	Reb.	Ast.	Stl.	Blk.	Pts.
LaMelo Ball	PG
Bismack Biyombo	C
Miles Bridges	SF
Vernon Carey Jr.	PF/C
Nate Darling	SG
Devonte' Graham	PG
Gordon Hayward	SF
Caleb Martin	SF
Cody Martin	SF
Jalen McDaniels	PF/C
Malik Monk	SG
Nick Richards	C
Grant Riller	PG
Terry Rozier	PG
P. J. Washington	PF
Cody Zeller	PF/C

After all games.[7]

Transactions

Trades

November 19, 2020[8]	To Charlotte Hornets Nick Richards	To New Orleans Pelicans 2024 second-round pick
November 29, 2020[9]	To Charlotte Hornets Gordon Hayward 2023 second-round pick 2024 second-round pick	To Boston Celtics 2022 second-round pick (protected)

Re-signed

Player	Signed
Bismack Biyombo[10]	November 30, 2020

Additions

Player	Signed	Former team
LaMelo Ball[11]	November 30, 2020	Illawarra Hawks
Vernon Carey Jr.[12]	November 30, 2020	Duke Blue Devils
Nate Darling[13] (TW)	November 30, 2020	Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens
Nick Richards[14]	November 30, 2020	Kentucky Wildcats
Grant Riller[15] (TW)	November 30, 2020	College of Charleston Cougars

Subtractions

Player	Reason left	New team
Dwayne Bacon[16]	UFA	Orlando Magic
Nicolas Batum[17]	Waived	Los Angeles Clippers
Willy Hernangomez[18]	UFA	New Orleans Pelicans
Ray Spalding[19]	Waived	Free agent

References

1. "NBA 2019-20 season restart in Orlando: Draft Lottery". NBA.com. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
2. "Hornets Select LaMelo Ball, Vernon Carey Jr. and Grant Riller in 2020 NBA Draft". NBA.com. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
3. "Hornets Acquire Nick Richards". NBA.com. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
4. "Hornets Acquire Forward Gordon Hayward and Two Future Second-Round Picks in Sign-and-Trade Deal". ESPN.com. November 29, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
5. "Hornets and Wizards Game Jan. 20 Postponed". NBA.com. January 18, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
6. "NBA Announces Schedule Update for Upcoming Hornets Matchup". NBA.com. January 27, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
7. "2020-21 Charlotte Hornets Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
8. "Hornets Acquire Nick Richards". NBA.com. November 19, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
9. "Hornets Acquire Forward Gordon Hayward and Two Future Second-Round Picks in Sign-and-Trade Deal". NBA.com. November 29, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
10. "Charlotte Hornets Re-Sign Center Bismack Biyombo". NBA.com. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
11. "Charlotte Hornets Sign LaMelo Ball". NBA.com. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
12. "Charlotte Hornets Sign Vernon Carey Jr". NBA.com. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
13. "Charlotte Hornets Sign Grant Riller and Nate Darling to Two-Way Contracts". NBA.com. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
14. "Charlotte Hornets Sign Nick Richards". NBA.com. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
15. "Charlotte Hornets Sign Grant Riller and Nate Darling to Two-Way Contracts". NBA.com. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
16. "Orlando Magic Sign Free Agent Dwayne Bacon". NBA.com. November 24, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
17. "Active LA Clippers secure veteran depth as training camp opens, sign forward Nicolas Batum". ESPN.com. December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
18. "Pelicans sign Wenyen Gabriel and Willy Hernangómez". NBA.com. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
19. "Hornets Waive Ray Spalding". NBA.com. November 29, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.