Despite some optimism that hadn’t been felt around the Charlotte Hornets in years, the performance hasn’t matched it. Now 24 games into the year, it’s about that time for fans and the front office to begin their Christmas wishlist of prospects coming out of this loaded 2026 NBA Draft class.

A lot of what the Hornets will look for will depend on what the roster looks like at the end of the season, with trade rumors centered around LaMelo Ball feeling more real than ever. The positional needs could change along with the roster if a move around Ball were to be made. The current needs are precise: defense, shooting, consistent scoring ability and more defense.

At roughly the quarter mark of the season, the Hornets are in the bottom nine league-wide in five of the six main stat categories; 21st in points per game, 23rd in assists per game, 25th in field-goal percentage, 23rd in 3-point percentage and 23rd in opponent points per game. The team, while sometimes fun to watch, is simply playing bad basketball in basically every facet, and the problem is this is nothing new.

The only real positive of the season is rookie Kon Knueppel, who still leads the NBA.com rookie ladder so far this season. It’s a great start to the rebuild, but it’s going to take more. Here are two college stars who would immediately help Charlotte move in the right direction.

Cam Boozer, Forward, Duke

Front-court rebounding and offensive productivity are much needed in the Spectrum Center right now, and Cam Boozer fits that mold and so much more. His balanced and consistent offense, combined with his knack for grabbing rebounds over both larger and smaller defenders, makes him the perfect player to plug into Charlotte's front court, who will clean the glass on both ends of the floor.

Boozer is second in the country in scoring within the Power Four conferences and also leads Duke in every statistical category except for blocks, where he’s second by a very thin margin. Lottery luck likely has to go Charlotte's way to make this happen, but if Charlotte can land in the top three, Boozer very well could be up for grabs.

Darryn Peterson, Guard, Kansas

Charlotte could draft Darryn Peterson with or without Ball on the roster, but this idea mainly comes from a roster perspective without Ball. Either way, Peterson can contribute immediately; he's already shown how he can make winning plays whether he's on or off the ball.

Peterson is averaging 20 points per game for the Jayhawks this season and perfectly fits the mold of a modern NBA guard: tall for the position at 6-foot-6, can finish at the rim in a multitude of ways, and is shooting over 42% from 3-point range.

His decision-making as a lead guard is way beyond his years as well, only averaging about one turnover per game.

Peterson was the No. 1 recruit in the 2025 ESPN 100, even over the likes of other prospects like Boozer and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa. Whether or not it’s with LaMelo, Charlotte Hornets fans would love to see Peterson in the teal and purple.