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Earl's NBA power ranking · Week 1, 2026

Charlotte sits 19th with a neutral-field rating of just 0.818 points better than average, a steep fall from a prior-season rating of 8.025, and that decline is softened by a weak -4.936 strength of schedule. The 3-1 record is fool's gold against that schedule, but the 6.21 vs-market edge says the market is still pricing them worse than this rating, making them a modest buy at the number rather than a fade. With no key players unavailable and zero injury dock, the rating is clean, so treat them as a small live underdog catching points, not a team to lay with.