It's official: For the first time in the 2026-27 NBA regular season, Charles Lee gets to go with his preferred starting five. Kon Knueppel & Coby White are healthy and will play! For Brooklyn, Egor Dëmin is still sidelined. See for yourself who else takes the court to begin with:

The Hornets First Five:

G Coby White - White returned two days ago against the Detroit Pistons, scoring seven points on three-of-nine shooting, also dishing three assists and committing as many turnovers. He played close to sixteen minutes in what was a blowout loss, so you can expect a similar, if maybe slightly higher, playing time for him tonight.

G Kon Knueppel - This will be the first look for Hornets faithful at Kon Knueppel since Charlotte's play-in loss to Orlando at the end of the 2025-26 season. It will also be Knueppel's first time taking the court since LaMelo Ball's departure, although Knueppel did actually play 1000+ minutes without Ball last season while the latter was injured.

F Brandon Miller - You have to hope that with the supposed starting backcourt now intact, a bit of a load is taken off Miller's shoulders on offense. He ranks fifth in field goal attempts per game in the NBA right now, after finishing 32nd in that category just last year.

F Naz Reid - Reid's best game as a Hornet so far arguably came against the Brooklyn Nets. In the season opener, a 110-103 Charlotte win, Reid contributed 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. He has only racked up eight more assists in the seven games since.

C Moussa Diabaté - The first couple of games for Moussa Diabaté have been... ok? He is still an incredible rebounder who gives relentless effort, and he is averaging career highs in points per game and field goal percentage. On the other hand, he has struggled with giveaways, and his defensive presence hasn't been felt to its fullest extent yet.

The Nets First Five:

G Nolan Traoré - Replacing fellow sophomore guard Egor Dëmin is French prospect Nolan Traoré. Usually a suspect shooter, Traoré has been shooting a nice 50% from deep this season.

F Michael Porter Jr.- MPJ is doing MPJ things: Shooting 38.1% from three on 9 attempts a game on a tough shot diet, grabbing some boards defensively, and serving up a scorching 1.4 assists a contest.

F Chaney Johnson - An unknown to some, Chaney Johnson has started every game so far! He barely played, though, against the Hornets in the first matchup. But he's had some better outings since, most notably a 15-point game versus Boston.

F Julius Randle - The former New York Knick has had a bad start to the season. He's scoring 20.9 points per game, but with horrid efficiency and the fourth-most turnovers per game in the NBA.

C Day'Ron Sharpe - Sharpe entered the season with the reputation of being a solid backup big but possibly a bit overtasked as a starter. It seems like that was an accurate estimation. He's a fine rebounder and relatively skilled offensively, but he also struggles with turnovers and on the defensive end.