The Charlotte Hornets' Wednesday tiff against the league-worst Indiana Pacers would have been a good gauge of where the team currently stands against the league. However, it fell to a 70-54 hole at halftime, and LaMelo Ball has to shoulder much of the blame for his squad's awful play. It appears his body is far from healthy, and it's unclear how long he would have to endure the pain or soreness in his surgically repaired right ankle.
Ball went 2-14 from the field and 1-6 from 3-point land in the first half, scoring just nine points. He did record four rebounds and five assists, although he turned the ball over three times and had two fouls. Evidently, the Hornets need him to play much, much better for them to have a chance at rallying for the road win. Otherwise, they would be only the second team to give Indiana a dub this season after the Golden State Warriors.
The entire Charlotte crew also deserves to receive flak for the lackluster showing in the first two periods. It allowed the shorthanded Pacers to put up 70 points on a 60.5 percent shooting clip from the field, including a 52.4 percent efficiency from downtown.
The defense has been a nagging issue for the Hornets this season, as they have allowed opponents to average 119.7 points per game entering Monday's battle. However, a floundering offense is no way for them to be competitive; that much was evident against the Pacers, as they shot a collective 2-21 from 3-point range in the first half.
LaMelo Ball has a lot riding on him in the second half
The Hornets can still rally for the comeback win, as a 16-point deficit at the half is not that unmanageable in today's NBA. But if Ball cannot log a better performance after intermission, the team will add a humiliating loss to its record.
The problem is that Ball seems to still be limping, even if it is not that apparent when he is on the floor. That's probably a major reason he has been shooting poorly recently. He has shot less than 40.0 percent from the field in the past three appearances, and it doesn't look like his slump is ending anytime soon, even if he did sink his first two shots of the second half.
If the star cannot produce as expected, his teammates will have to step up. Unfortunately, only Ryan Kalkbrenner turned in an efficient shooting performance in the first half. Kon Knueppel also balled out, but he had the worst plus/minus among all players.
The question now is whether Charlotte has to rest Ball and allow him more time to get a clean bill of health. Of course, that could mean more losses are coming its way.