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: effective field goal percentage, rebounding percentage, turnover percentage, and free throw rate; correlate directly with the success of basketball teams at every level of the game.

For the Charlotte Hornets, at least on the offensive end, they should be referred to as the "Four Factors of Basketball Failure."

According to Cleaning the Glass, the Hornets offense ranks as following in those key metrics:

Effective Field Goal Percentage: 30th
Turnover Percentage: 30th
Offensive Rebound Percentage: 7th
Free Throw Rate: 27th

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.

No amount of second-chance opportunities created by Moussa Diabate or Ryan Kalkbrenner can save that level of offensive ineptitude.

Charlotte's next chance to rectify their offensive struggles will come tonight at the Spectrum Center with the Cleveland Cavaliers roll into town. Let's break down tonight's matchup.

Injury Report

Cleveland Cavaliers: QUESTIONABLE - Jarrett Allen (R Knee Contusion); OUT - Khalifa Diop (G-League), Sam Merrill (R Elbow Injury Management), Nae'Qwan Tomlin (Low Back Stress Reaction), Jaylon Tyson (R Ankle Sprain), Ernest Udeh Jr. (G-League)

Charlotte Hornets: QUESTIONABLE - Moussa Diabate (R Quadriceps Teninopathy); OUT - Michael Ajayi (G-League), Kylan Boswell (G-League), PJ Hall (G-League), Kon Knueppel (L Hamstring Strain), Brandon Miller (R Hip Strain), Dennis Schroder (L Hamstring Strain), Grant Williams (R Hamstring Strain)

Matchup to Watch

Cavs Backcourt vs. Hornets Backcourt

Because of the Hornets' current injury situation, this as big of a mismatch as you'll find in the NBA this year.

Charlotte will be without Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, and Dennis Schroder, and they'll still only have Coby White on a limited basis. Yikes.

James Harden and Donovan Mitchell are one of the league's most potent back court duos. The perennial All-NBA superstar guards have been hit-or-miss early in 2026, especially Harden, but 'The Beard' has historically owned the Hornets. Look no further than his 55-point explosion in the Queen City this time last year.

I'm interested to see if Christian Anderson Jr. can continue to find his footing against NBA competition. The game looks a bit quick for him right now, but the rookie point guard has started to show signs of improvement as he's garnered more playing time.

In addition, has Sion James found his range from beyond the arc? The second-year guard drilled three of his five long-range attempts against Boston on Friday, and has made six of his last 13 attempts (46%). He was abysmal from deep at the beginning the season, there's no way around it, so it is encouraging to see him bounce back from that poor start.

Game-Defining Statistic

Turnover Percentage

Cleveland is the second-worst team in the league in terms of forcing turnovers (per Cleaning the Glass). Charles Lee has opined at length about Charlotte's struggles with giving the ball away, and they'll face a soft perimeter defense tonight that doesn't boast much on-ball disruption between Mitchell and Harden.

For the Hornets to compete, they'll need to maximize possessions not only by dominating the boards, but also by limiting their giveaways.