One of the most impressive aspects of the Charlotte Hornets' offense is their effective use of Ghost Screens. A ghost screen is essentially a pick-and-roll decoy - a player sprints toward the ball handler as if to set a hard screen but slips or "ghosts" past him without making physical contact.

This sudden movement creates immediate spacing for the ball handler or, alternatively, allows the "screener" to catch the ball on the move, making it much easier to create separation from his defender.

Head Coach Charles Lee utilizes ghost screens as a secondary option to bail out a stagnant possession if the initial set fails to produce a clean look or a numerical advantage.

In this Sideline Out-of-Bounds (SLOB) set, Kon Knueppel serves as the initial screener in a Zoom Action for LaMelo Ball, who receives the handoff from Moussa Diabaté. When Ball fails to generate an advantage and the offense stalls, Knueppel, a master of off-ball movement, sprints back toward Ball for a ghost screen.

Knueppel’s defender, Julian Champagnie, bites on the decoy and hesitates for a split second. As Ball hits Knueppel on the pop, the sharpshooter capitalizes on the advantage and drives to the rim. When Victor Wembanyama rotates for the help, Knueppel drops a pocket pass to Diabaté for the layup finish.

Look at how much ground Kon Knueppel covers here. He identifies a mismatch in transition - he’s being guarded by Victor Wembanyama, an elite defender, but one who is most effective protecting the rim.

Rather than clearing out and settling for a predictable, stationary isolation, Knueppel works the ball from side to side. He swings it to Miles Bridges and then executes - you guessed it - a ghost screen. By this point, Wembanyama is gassed; Knueppel blows right by him for the easy layup. This wasn't a scripted set play. Charlotte simply read the floor and reacted perfectly to the situation.

In this possession, LaMelo Ball finds Grant Williams following an initial ball screen from Diabaté. Williams swings the ball to Brandon Miller and immediately follows up with a screen of his own.

San Antonio opts to switch, leaving Miller matched up against Wembanyama. Miller kicks the ball back to Ball, and Wembanyama hesitates for a split second to stunt toward LaMelo to prevent a potential drive. That’s all the window Miller needs. Ball finds him instantly, and Miller capitalizes on that separation from Wemby to knock down the triple.

Charlotte uses ghost screens even during transition, similar to how they use drag screens. In this clip, Kon Knueppel moves toward Ball alongside Collin Sexton (#8), a move which initially resembles a staggered ball screen, often referred to as "77" in coaching parlance. However, instead of setting a hard pick, Knueppel quickly ghosts to the wing, leading Ball to wave off the second screen and feed him the ball immediately.

This ghost screen forces a triple switch from the New Orleans Pelicans' defense; Herb Jones, who was originally guarding Knueppel, ends up on Sexton, while Jeremiah Pierce moves late to stop Knueppel. This leads Derek Quinn to rotate from the corner to help Pierce, creating the ultimate goal of any high-level offense: a numbers advantage. Knueppel then finds a wide-open Grant Williams in the corner, who knocks down the triple.