The Charlotte Hornets just got wrecked by the Atlanta Hawks, losing 134-102 in a game that was over before it even started. No LaMelo Ball. No Miles Bridges. No chance. While the Hornets were forced to rely on younger players like Mark Williams, Nick Smith Jr., and DaQuan Jeffries, the results weren’t exactly inspiring. Doug Branson is in full “Spicy D” mode, unleashing frustration about the Hornets’ effort (or lack thereof) and the team’s historically bad losing stretch.

But it’s not all doom and gloom! Mark Williams quietly showed off an intriguing new skill—his passing from the short roll. Could this be a real offensive weapon moving forward? And speaking of the future, we dive into a massive debate: Would you trade ANY Hornets player if it guaranteed getting Cooper Flagg? LaMelo? Miller? Even Bridges? We read fan takes and break down Flagg’s sky-high potential compared to past top picks like Zion and Cade Cunningham.

Plus, injury news on Moussa Diabate (spoiler: it’s bad), an update on Josh Okogie’s return, and some spicy trade speculation. It’s all here on Locked On Hornets!

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Top 35 Hornets Nicknames of All-Time According to Doug Branson: https://hornets.substack.com/p/the-top-35-nicknames-in-hornets-franchise

Top 35 Hornets of All-Time According to Walker Mehl: https://hornets.substack.com/p/the-top-35-players-in-hornets-history

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