Charlotte Hornets 2024-25 Season Preview, Betting Odds

If you're of the mindset that the Charlotte Hornets' 2023-24 campaign fell to the wayside because of LaMelo Ball's injuries, then you'll take solace in the fact that oddsmakers are projecting some semblance of improvement heading into the upcoming season, albeit improvement which still makes the team an afterthought in the grand scheme of things.

In this 2024-25 season preview, we'll take a look at all of the Hornets' betting odds as the franchise continues reaching for a life jacket while treading water in an ocean of obscurity.

Charlotte Hornets' 2024 Offseason Acquisitions 

Charlotte Hornets' 2024 Offseason Departures

Charlotte Hornets' 2025 NBA Championship, Eastern Conference, Southeast Division Betting Odds

Odds as of October 17, 2024 at FanDuel

Since transitioning over from the Bobcats in 2014, the Hornets have qualified for the postseason only once with just two years of above .500 basketball. The 2021-22 season in which Charlotte went 43-39, however, just so happens to coincide with the last time Ball maintained a relatively clean bill of health, suiting up for 75 of a possible 82 games. 

The Hornets win 44.5 percent of the games in which Ball competes in, going 82-102 over his four-year tenure. Having experienced numerous ankle injuries at just 23 years of age, which now has him contemplating whether or not to wear braces on the hardwood, the reality is setting in that Ball may be plagued by questionable health for the remainder of his career, and that's unsettling for an organization which has placed a ton on his shoulders. 

Best Bet: None

Having undergone years of draft picks failing to live up to the hype, Charlotte has at least found a pair of long-term pieces over the past few years in Brandon Miller and Mark Williams, with 2024 pick Tidjane Salaun hopefully following suit. This isn't a destination for free agents, so the Hornets' only hope of building a contender is through the draft, and that's why the premise of them vying for a play-in tournament berth at the very least doesn't feel productive from the outside looking in. 

There's only so many years you can convince your fanbase that bright skies are just around the corner and to keep being patient through the hard times. Charlotte, as currently constructed, has a ceiling of the play-in, and while that would constitute a step in the right direction, that doesn't do the team any favors with the 2025 draft class featuring several franchise-altering prospects.

You're not betting on the Hornets in any of these futures, and that doesn't need a deep dive to justify it. Even if Ball were to play all 82 games and Miller were to put up All-Star caliber numbers, Charlotte still couldn't fluke its way into a Southeast Division crown and beat out an up-and-coming threat in the East like the Orlando Magic.  

Charlotte Hornets' 2024-25 NBA Win Total, Make Playoffs Odds

Odds as of October 17, 2024 at FanDuel

The Hornets have seen their total wins dip from 43 in 2022 to 27 in 2023 and just 21 this past season. Their .256 winning percentage in 2023-24 was the worst since 2013 as the Bobcats after finishing with an identical 21-61 record.

Best Bet: OVER 31.5 Wins, -106

As much as bottoming out makes sense, compared to other basement dwellers in the East like the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, and Detroit Pistons, Charlotte probably won't be as bad as some of those teams and won't be as blatant with a tank job if push comes to shove.

This wager could look awful if Ball goes down early, but you can never fully project when a player is or if they'll miss time, so you have to take an optimistic approach by default. Oddsmakers having the early win total at 31.5 means they're taking the same mindset, so even if this season ends with 32 wins, while not an inspiring result, it would still connect on an OVER. 

Charlotte Hornets' 2024 NBA Cup Odds

Odds as of October 17, 2024 at FanDuel

The Hornets picked up a single victory to go 1-3 in East Group B during the inaugural in-season tournament. They'll have an extremely difficult time emerging from East Group A in 2024 alongside the Magic, New York Knicks, and Philadelphia 76ers, but at least they're miles ahead of the Nets at +3100.

Charlotte Hornets' 2024-25 NBA Awards Odds

Odds as of October 17, 2024 at FanDuel

Best Bet: Brandon Miller For NBA Most Improved Player, +5000

A Most Improved Player going to a sophomore feels cheap, because logic will forever suggest that a player in their second professional year should be making noticeable improvements in their game. That's not a knock on Miller, but the criteria for the hardware in general, although a second-year player hasn't won since 2007 with Monta Ellis of the Golden State Warriors.

Miller is the only Hornet with any awards odds that has a realistic shot of prevailing, even though new head coach Charles Lee has greater odds for Coach of the Year. Charlotte would have to improve by 20 wins, at least, and that's not going to happen.

If not for the generational Victor Wembanyama being first overall in his class, more people would have taken notice of Miller's strong rookie campaign. Charlotte was also completely irrelevant which didn't help matters, but the 21-year-old forward did average 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists while shooting 44 percent from the field and just over 37 percent from 3-point range. That's a solid base to build on. 

2024-25 NBA Team Previews, Betting Odds