Hornets Continue to Struggle as Injuries Run Rampant
Although things had looked up for Charlotte recently, poor play and injuries always seem to find the Hornets. Despite being favored last night at home versus the Brooklyn Nets, the team got blown out, only scoring 83 points and losing by 21. Coming into the game, Brooklyn had lost seven straight games and dealt with many injuries of their own, to promising young players like Cam Thomas and Cameron Johnson. With LaMelo Ball out for at least another week due to an ankle injury, the Hornets may see even tougher times ahead for a team that is missing both Brandon Miller and Grant Williams to season-ending injuries.
Averaging 28.2 points, five rebounds, and seven assists, Ball has been a bright spot for the team this year in his fifth season. Sadly for Charlotte, ankle injuries are nothing new to LaMelo Ball, as he has now missed 119 games in the last three seasons due solely to ankle injuries. When Ball has not been on the floor, the Hornets have had an even tougher time winning games. Charlotte has a record of 43-103 when Ball doesn’t play, a win percentage of only 29.3 percent. This season, they’ve fared even worse, recording a record of 1-12 when Ball doesn’t suit up. At 12-32 on the year, the team has a lot of work to do in order to reach the tenth seed and qualify for the Play-In tournament.
Currently ranked 14th in the Eastern Conference and 27th out of 30 NBA teams, things seemingly will get worse for the Hornets before they get better. Ranking 28th in the league in points scored per game at 107.5, the Hornets offensive struggles will be magnified, missing reliable scorers Ball, Miller, and Tre Mann. Miles Bridges and Mark Williams will need to step up in the meantime, as the team has tough matchups versus the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets on Thursday and Saturday. Hoping that their health will improve, the team will need to hang in there until LaMelo Ball and others return before making a push for the postseason.
