The Charlotte Hornets offense has struggled in a variety of ways without Kon Knueppel and Coby White — dropping their last three games. One of the Hornets' biggest storylines was Naz Reid getting benched after one half, but eyes have turned to Sion James ' play as a starter.
James has been forced into a starter role with Knueppel and White sidelined with injuries. The spot starts have gone haywire, and Hornets fans are noticing.
Frankly, James has been one of the worst shooters in the NBA to start the regular season. He is averaging 3.7 points per game on 22/15/75 shooting splits. Through seven games, James is 9-for-41 from the field and 5-for-33 from three.
It's gone beyond "bad shooting." Right now, he's arguably the league's least efficient scorer. Of every player averaging 15-plus minutes, James ranks dead last in true shooting percentage (30.4).
Is it truly a slump or pure regression from the second-year guard? It's not like James is taking bad shots. For example, over 58 percent of his three-point attempts have been wide-open shots.
The problem: he's just not converting them. Last year with the Hornets, James was called upon as a strong 3-and-D player off the bench — and he played well.
With more pressure mounting on him as a starter due to injuries to Knueppel and White, his confidence has slowly faded. His shots aren't falling right now, and Charles Lee needs to make a change to the starting lineup to make it function more efficiently.
Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee argues with the officials during their game against the Detroit Pistons in the second quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Photo Credit: Lon Horwedel, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
You are doing something right if your head coach speaks highly of you after a dreadful start. Lee was asked by Hornets Insider Rod Boone why James is starting and what his thoughts are about his struggles missing open shots:
"[James '] competitive spirit becomes contagious with our whole group," Lee explained. Being one of the top 10 defenses in the NBA is a huge accomplishment for our group right now, despite being undermanned. I think he's a big part of why we've been able to trend positively in our turnover percentages… he's gotten some good looks, and we all go through some shooting slumps, but I love what he's given us on both ends of the floor."
Why is Charles Lee starting Sion James, and what are his thoughts on Sion's struggles to hit open shots?
Asked him about it: https://t.co/NSpfeeBQ8V
— Rod Boone (@rodboone) October 31, 2026
With an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.33, Lee is right. James has kept the offense afloat as a secondary creator. On the other end, he's always been strong at the point of attack and has a great feel for defense.
James is built like a linebacker, but the Hornets don't maximize that skill set. He looks really good when he can drive to the rim in half-court sets. But most of the time, he kicks it out to another player instead of finishing at the rim.
Charlotte wants to be a strong three-point shooting team , but a starter making just 15.2 percent from beyond the arc on mostly wide-open attempts just won't cut it. Granted, Lee likes what James can bring on the defensive end, and he's not wrong — he's a good defender.
But the Hornets are shooting over 44 three-pointers per game, second only to Portland for the most in the league. If that's going to be your mission objective, then you need better shooters in your starting lineup.
Lee believes James is just in a temporary slump, and one good shooting night can change the fans' entire perspective on him. Replacing Knueppel with James should be an instant upgrade, but will it save the Hornets' offense ?
In the last four years, every NBA Finals champion had at least a top-five regular-season offensive rating. It's time for James to head back to the second unit to reset and shake the ghosts out — as the Hornets have the league's lowest offensive rating.
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Photo Credit: Geoff Burke, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
