Charlotte Hornets offensive struggles against Cleveland Cavaliers, Digi Mart USA News: Dean Oliver, a former NBA front office staffer who now works in ESPN’s basketball analytics department, coined the “Four Factors of Basketball Success.” Those factors are effective field goal percentage, rebounding percentage, turnover percentage and free throw rate, which correlate directly with success for basketball teams at every level of the game.
For the Charlotte Hornets, at least on the offensive end, those factors have pointed in the wrong direction. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Hornets rank 30th in effective field goal percentage, 30th in turnover percentage, seventh in offensive rebound percentage and 27th in free throw rate.
In summation, the Hornets can’t score efficiently, they turn the ball over more than any team in the league, and they can’t get to the line. Second-chance opportunities created by Moussa Diabate and Ryan Kalkbrenner have not been enough to offset that offensive struggle.
Charlotte gets another chance to address those problems tonight at Spectrum Center, when the Cleveland Cavaliers visit. Cleveland lists Jarrett Allen as questionable with a right knee contusion, and Khalifa Diop, Sam Merrill, Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Jaylon Tyson and Ernest Udeh Jr.
as out.
Charlotte’s injury report is extensive. Moussa Diabate is questionable with a right quadriceps tendinopathy, while Michael Ajayi, Kylan Boswell, PJ Hall, Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, Dennis Schroder and Grant Williams are out.
Coby White is expected to play only on a limited basis, which makes this one of the most lopsided matchups in the NBA this year.
Donovan Mitchell and James Harden form one of the league’s most potent backcourt duos, though both have been inconsistent early in 2026, especially Harden. Mitchell has historically had success against Charlotte, including a 55-point performance in the Queen City this time last year.
Christian Anderson Jr. is still adjusting to NBA competition, and the rookie point guard has shown some improvement as his playing time has increased.
Sion James is also worth watching from beyond the arc after making three of five long-range attempts against Boston on Friday and six of his last 13 attempts (46 percent).
Cleveland ranks second-worst in the league in forcing turnovers, according to Cleaning the Glass, and its perimeter defense does not offer much on-ball disruption against Mitchell and Harden. For Charlotte to compete, it will need to win the rebounding battle while limiting giveaways to maximize its possessions.
