Bucks Look to Exploit a Thin, Turnover-Prone Hornets Backcourt

Charlotte's short-handed guard rotation gives Milwaukee the edge in this preseason matchup.

MIL @ CHA Oct 11, 2026 at 11:00 PM UTC

Preseason games are about rotations and rhythm, and Charlotte enters its second exhibition with plenty of both to sort out. The Hornets were beaten 124-90 by Brooklyn in their opener. Kon Knueppel, Coby White and Grant Williams are the main absences. Sources disagree on their status, with some listing them as questionable and others as out for the preseason, so Charlotte should be treated as short-handed. The projected group from the opener previews was Dennis Schroder, Grayson Allen, Brandon Miller, Naz Reid and Moussa Diabate. That lineup could change.

The biggest concern is ball security. Charlotte committed 25 turnovers against the Nets, and with White out, Schroder is the only healthy true point guard. That puts pressure on him and on the wings to create without giving possessions away. Milwaukee does not need to be perfect to take advantage. Active hands and a few extra transition chances could be enough against a team still figuring out its pieces. Charlotte won 44 games last season and finished ninth in the East, but the roster has changed significantly, including the trades of LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges. Continuity is not a strength right now.

Milwaukee has its own question at forward. Nate Ament is a game-time decision with a left ankle sprain that forced him out of an earlier preseason game against the Thunder. If he sits, the Bucks will need other forwards to fill the minutes. That looks manageable compared with Charlotte's problems at guard.

I expect Charlotte to compete better than it did against Brooklyn, with Miller and Reid supplying enough scoring to keep it close for a while. But turnovers and a thin backcourt should decide it late. Bucks 112, Hornets 104.

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