Christian Anderson (ankle) probable Saturday vs. MIA

Schröder has been the starter with Coby White (calf) sidelined to start the year. If Schröder is unavailable, Sion James will likely take over point guard duties, with Grayson Allen entering the starting unit. Rookie Christian Anderson Jr. would also likely take on extra minutes off the bench, and there is a slight chance he starts.

White still isn’t ready to make his season debut after straining his calf in the preseason. Until he can play, the Hornets will continue to rely on a point guard rotation of Dennis Schröder and Christian Anderson Jr.

Anderson was initially listed as probable for this game, and he has now officially been cleared to suit up. He has averaged 14.5 minutes per game this season but hasn’t contributed much in the box score yet. He’ll provide backup point guard minutes behind Dennis Schröder.

Anderson, the 18th overall pick in June’s draft, returned from the ankle injury that sidelined him at the start of training camp. The rookie guard logged 21 minutes off the bench, signaling that it’s “all systems go” with no restrictions. With Coby White sidelined by a calf injury, Anderson may get minutes backing up starting point guard Dennis Schröder (five points, three rebounds and two assists vs. Boston) once the regular season begins. That said, he’ll be far more valuable in dynasty leagues than in redraft leagues.

Anderson is behind Dennis Schroeder in the rotation, but with the injuries to Coby White, there is an opportunity for the rookie point guard to get minutes early on in the season. He should fit right into Charles Lee’s 3PT heavy system.

The full deal was Nembhard, Buddy Hield and cash for Dorian Finney-Smith. After going undrafted in 2025, Nembhard had a solid rookie year for Dallas. However, they ended up trading him to Atlanta in July, and he has now been swung to Charlotte. He’ll likely compete with Dennis Schroder and Christian Anderson for some of the backup point guard minutes behind Coby White.

After shooting 2-of-11 from the field in his summer debut on Thursday, Anderson was better on Saturday. The 18th overall pick in last month’s draft, he shot 2-of-8 from beyond the arc and 5-of-14 overall. More concerning than the shooting was Anderson not recording an assist, but the fact that Sion James and Liam McNeeley also took on playmaking responsibilities was a factor. With the Hornets re-signing Coby White, Anderson will have time to develop, so fantasy managers should not be too concerned by his slow start in Las Vegas.

Anderson was one of the best shooting prospects in the draft, and he’ll be fine, but it was a disappointing first summer league game for him. He missed all five of his shots from deep and didn’t do much as a facilitator. It was only one exhibition, but Anderson isn’t going to be the LaMelo Ball replacement in his first season. He’ll likely play a role off the bench as a rookie and should be better moving forward this summer.

Anderson is considered by many to be the best perimeter shooter in this draft class. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound guard was one of the most improved players in college basketball this season, averaging 18.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 3.3 three-pointers in 38.4 minutes. Anderson shot 47.2 percent from the field, 41.5 percent from three and 80.5 percent from the foul line. While Anderson needs to get better defensively, his offensive tools make him incredibly valuable. The Hornets needed another perimeter shooter, especially if they don’t re-sign Coby White, and selecting Anderson addresses that issue. In addition to being able to provide playmaking when LaMelo Ball sits, he can also play off the Hornets’ star point guard because of his catch-and-shoot ability.