The Hornets have a specific formula for winning. It’s also why they lose.
When the Charlotte Hornets win this season, the formula is Gordon Hayward and somebody.
That somebody could be Terry Rozier or Devonte Graham or P.J. Washington. Monday in Miami, it was Malik Monk. But a prerequisite to the Hornets winning is Hayward playing like an All-Star and someone else rising to the occasion.
Wednesday, against the Philadelphia 76ers, no one did. Rookie LaMelo Ball finished with 22 points, but he also had six turnovers to three assists, and the Sixers won their 14th in a row over the Hornets.
There is no shame in losing to the Sixers. At 16-6, they have the best record in the Eastern Conference because they are big and talented.
But if wins over Indiana, Milwaukee and Miami showed the 10-12 Hornets have made progress, then the first quarter Wednesday demonstrated how much more they need. The Hornets were outscored 30-13 and shot 5 of 22 from the field. That quarter was so one-sided it looked cruel.
Effort wasn’t an issue Wednesday. It was a lack of size and talent, compounded by two starters — Rozier and Washington — missing this game with injuries.
‘Get him help’
When general manager Mitch Kupchak was asked about the Hornets’ greatest need last spring, he said not a particular position, but rather overall talent.
Some viewed that as Kupchak ducking the question. I thought the opposite; that he was publicly acknowledging just how weak the talent base was. Two scouts from other teams told me last season they thought the Hornets had the least talent in the NBA.
Kupchak drafted Ball third overall and acquired Hayward in free agency. Those two immediately became the most talented players on this roster. When you compare that to the Sixers, it screams how much more the Hornets need.
That Philadelphia center Joel Embiid (34 points and 11 rebounds) was the best player in this game was a given. However, you could argue that the second- and third-best players from either team were also Sixers: Point guard Ben Simmons (15 points and nine assists) and forward Tobias Harris (26 points).
Hayward welcomed the expanded role he took on leaving the Boston Celtics for the Hornets. In his first 20-some games, he’s lived up to that expectation, averaging 23 points, five rebounds and nearly four assists. The problem is constantly expecting Hayward to rescue teammates.
“Quite frankly, I don’t want to see him playing 38 minutes a game and scoring 35 to 38 points a game. I think that’s too much,” Kupchak recently told The Observer. “We need to get him help.”
Filling the gap
The gap between Hayward’s talent and the rest of the roster widened with Washington’s and Rozier’s injuries. However, the lesson in Wednesday’s game is no amount of coaching and development would make this roster resemble Philadelphia’s
As coach James Borrego put it, after trying to play 6-7 Caleb Martin extensively at power forward, “We can’t grow these guys any bigger.”
Borrego and his staff developed second-rounder Graham into a starter. They’ve made progress with Caleb and Cody Martin, too. But it’s a good thing the Hornets could have $20 million or more under the salary cap next summer.
Kupchak has far more shopping to do. There’s not enough there right now to make the Hornets anything like a contender.
This story was originally published February 4, 2021 at 8:00 AM with the headline "The Hornets have a specific formula for winning. It’s also why they lose.."
