Are good times on the horizon for the Charlotte Hornets? ‘I think the city feels it’
Tunes blared inside the Charlotte Hornets’ weight room, not long after morning preparations — for the season’s final Friday night home date — were complete.
Players trickled out sporadically, strolling to their respective vehicles, heading home for a little rest and relaxation prior to their game with the Sacramento Kings.
Grant Williams wasn’t going anywhere yet and was among the last to finally emerge from his latest training session rehabilitating his torn right ACL.
His facial expressions and demeanor provided insight into his current mind state.
“I’m feeling great, positive,” the Hornets’ big man told The Observer prior to Charlotte’s 125-102 loss to Sacramento. “That’s really the one word that I’ve tried to stay consistent with throughout this whole process. I’m fortunate to have a great support system with my family, my girlfriend. But also supported by this organization.
“The team, they are not rushing me. They are just focused on making sure I get better every single day and taking it one day at a time. I’m trying my best just to stay focused on the moment, and attacking every single little thing with the right mentality and come back stronger than I was before.”
Injured at the tail end of the Hornets’ Nov 23 defeat in Milwaukee, Williams is on the mend and back to injecting his veteran voice when needed. Although he’s been around since going down, he has become more visible of late, a direct result of the encouraging incremental progress he’s making.
And the appearances, such as during the Hornets’ matchup with the Kings, are noticeable.
“KJ (Simpson) was guarding (Markelle) Fultz at one point during the game and I hear Grant yelling ‘Under! Under!’ And ‘shift,’” coach Charles Lee said. “(Williams’) understanding of the game is something that’s at a a really high level. So, anytime he can impart wisdom to the players during timeouts or in the heat of the moment, I think it’s really helpful. And he’s got everybody’s attention in our locker room.”
In multiple ways, too.
“The other part I think is invaluable, they get to watch his professional habits every day,” Lee said. “Even as he goes through his rehab right now, he’s on time for every appointment. He’s engaged during the game. Film sessions, he’s there. So, his presence is greatly appreciated in a lot of different areas.”
This is all new territory for Williams, 26, and he has been forced to lean on a number of people — family, close friends, players on rival teams in the Southeast Division — those close to him to keep his sanity at times and have as much tunnel vision as possible. Even on those days when it’s difficult to push through.
“I feel like I’ve leaned on everyone in this organization, but also across the league,” Williams said. “Jonathan Isaac (with Orlando), we don’t talk a ton, but the conversations we’ve had have really changed my entire perspective on this rehab. I talked to (the Magic’s) Franz Wagner after his injury, just to have someone that is going through something similar.
“I need to call him and check in and see how he’s doing. I feel like every one of us goes through something in this league and we are brothers at the end of the day. So, having to support one another in difficult times is very valuable.”
In turn, Williams plans on gathering as much knowledge as possible so he comes back with a vengeance next season, returning to be the player that led to Boston drafting him No. 22 overall in 2019.
“Yeah, it starts first with the mental,” Williams said. “I’m going to do everything physically. I feel like that’s something that’s not a question. I attack everything every day. That’s something I did when I wasn’t injured. So that’s not really the growth in my opinion. Outside of coming in the best shape possible, mentally is the biggest growth. Being more observant, being more emotionally in tune and being able to have deep, emotional conversations and be able to observe and see what the players and coaches across the organization, their needs.
“Just trying to be more cognizant of my daily effort and my environmental care. That’s something that I think we as athletes and NBA players, we kind of get into this autopilot mode, and I feel like I had been on autopilot. So now it’s being more intentional.”
That was evident on Friday in particular.
Williams held his second annual Hackathon-For-Good Middle School competition, giving roughly 50 area students a chance to showcase their technological talents.
Students from Oaklawn Language Academy, Walter G. Byers School and Providence Day School were invited to participate, helping the number of individuals swell up from the 20 who participated in last year’s inaugural event, which was put together quickly following Williams’ trade from Boston to his hometown team.
Assisting in bridging the gap in disparity between certain districts is at Williams’ forefront.
“It’s vital for me and my career,” he said. “In my opinion, it’s more impactful than anything I will do on the basketball floor, to be able to hopefully change students’ lives without sport. Sport allows me and gives me the platform to be able to do these things, but the impact is immeasurable in my opinion. I remember going back, what STEM (Science, Technology. Engineering and Math) was able to do for me, and I was able to not only challenge myself in school because of it because I found something I love, but also the fact that it gave me the opportunity to be recruited for basketball.
“I wasn’t a high major recruit. I wasn’t a guy that was Duke, UNC, every option that you can think of. I was fortunate to be recruited by Ivy Leagues. And I always give thanks to Yale, Harvard, Princeton, the three schools that it came down to my final decision as well as Tennessee because they changed my life and had me (looking) at a different perspective.”
Williams wants to provide that same kind of opportunity to others.
“The Hackathon, even without sport or if they even choose to play sport in their lives, they have something where they can do the same,” Williams said. “Whether it’s a scholarship, whether it’s through attending programs or even using these skills and going straight into the workforce I think is vital for the community itself. My family, we’ve been here. We’re fifth-generation Charlotteans, so not only do we care about this city, we care about this organization.”
Even despite the Hornets’ rough 2024-25 campaign, which has a little more than a week remaining. The NBA’s longest playoff drought has been extended to nine years, and Williams was in high school during the last occasion postseason fever waffled through uptown.
A turnaround, in Williams’ estimation, is coming soon.
“I have 100% confidence in this organization,” Williams said “Not just the people that they have, just in this group. There’s not many times you get a team that competes to the end. Normally with 10 games left guys’ minds are somewhere else, checked out. And this team is competing every single night, has a chase to win and are fighting in games.
“And I give a lot of testament to (president of basketball operations) Jeff Peterson, coach Charles Lee and (co-owners) Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin. They are doing everything possible for this city and this organization. And I think the city feels it, too. So as much as you can consider this technically a rebuild, I just see it as a makeover.
“And I think that we are going to do a phenomenal job of being ready to not only finish this season out, but the upcoming season because I think all of us are hungry and have that edge.”
This story was originally published April 5, 2025 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Are good times on the horizon for the Charlotte Hornets? ‘I think the city feels it’."
