HoopsHype ranked Coby White 23rd among NBA point guards for 2026-27, his first season as a full-time starter at the position since 2023-24.
White averaged 17.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists last season. He shot 44.6% from the field and 36.2% from three. Charlotte was 7.7 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor.
He is scheduled to make $26,811,593 this season, 70th among NBA salaries. He signed a three-year, $74 million contract in June.
On Feb. 4, the Hornets traded for White and Mike Conley Jr. from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng, and three future second-round picks. Additionally, Charlotte sent Mason Plumlee to Oklahoma City for Dieng and a second-round pick to finalize the deal.
At that time, White was Chicago's top scorer, averaging 18.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists across 29 games. The Bulls had already traded Nikola Vucevic and Kevin Huerter.
His name had been in trade talk for weeks before Chicago executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas told him it was done.
"I figured I was next on the chopping block," White said.
The trade sent him home. White, who grew up in Goldsboro, is the top scorer in North Carolina high school basketball history. He played one season at North Carolina before being selected seventh overall by Chicago in 2019.
A calf strain prevented him from making his debut for Charlotte immediately. The Hornets were on a nine-game winning streak when he joined, the longest in the franchise's current history.
Charlotte finished the season with a 44-38 record, their best since 2015-16. They beat the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament but lost to Orlando. The Hornets have now missed the playoffs for 10 straight seasons, the longest drought in the league.
LaMelo Ball was ranked 12th among point guards, which is 11 spots higher than the player who replaced him. In June, Charlotte traded Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves in return for Naz Reid.
Hornets coach Charles Lee is expected to start White, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Reid, and Moussa Diabaté. Charlotte acquired Dennis Schröder from the Cleveland Cavaliers on Aug. 20 to run the second unit behind White.
Much of the roster has been in Charlotte working out together since August, which White considers unusual for the league in the offseason, he told Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.
"I think we've got a really, really good team," White explained.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished first on the list, followed by Luka Dončić, Cade Cunningham, Jalen Brunson, and Tyrese Maxey. Fred VanVleet, Kingston Flemings, Andrew Nembhard, and Davion Mitchell just missed the cut. Schröder did not make the 27.
Knueppel ranked seventh on the HoopsHype shooting guard list published Aug. 28, the highest spot of anyone out of last season's rookie class. Schröder ranked 27th on the outlet's list of the 50 greatest European players.
Charlotte starts the regular season Oct. 21 against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center.
