Major Concern Arises After Charlotte Hornets' Season-Altering Losses

The Charlotte Hornets have had a really great stretch recently, but it all came crashing down on Saturday and Sunday. With back-to-back losses, they crashed back to the 10th seed after having a shot at being at least the seventh seed.

It was a bad time for the Hornets to suffer back-to-back losses, although a fully healthy Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics on two consecutive nights always felt like a recipe for disaster. In losing these games, the Hornets didn't just tumble in the standings. They unearthed one major concern that will play a role in how deep their postseason run is.

The Hornets can't win close games

The Hornets didn't get close against the Celtics, which is totally unsurprising given what transpired the night before. It was a scheduled loss if there ever was one. Still, it was rough, and the preceding loss to the 76ers, by just four points, is of concern.

It's their 18th loss in clutch games this season. They have the second-fewest clutch wins in the NBA, only to the lowly Brooklyn Nets, and their clutch win percentage is fourth-lowest in the sport. They've gotten by on blowouts, but they can't win close ones.

This was evident against the 76ers. The Hornets held a lead in the fourth quarter, but the veteran 76ers chipped away and put the pressure on the Hornets. Truthfully, for several straight possessions at the end, Charlotte answered the bell until the final game-tying attempt (or attempts, as they had three shots to tie).

This is evidence of a young team. The Hornets are not terribly experienced, and even the veterans don't have a lot of experience winning games. The Nets, Dallas Mavericks, and Utah Jazz have similar clutch records, and they're young, too.

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) is guarded by Philadelphia 76ers forward/guard Kelly Oubre Jr. | Brian Westerholt-Imagn Images

The difference is, those teams aren't postseason-bound. And in the postseason, it's hard to blow teams out. The Hornets will find themselves in close contests, and that could very well be the undoing of a dream season.

What goes wrong in those situations? Everyone forgets how to shoot the ball. LaMelo Ball is shooting 33.3% from three in the clutch. Kon Knueppel drops to 22.2%, and Brandon Miller's at 16.7% from distance. No one who plays meaningful minutes in those tight games at the end is above 44% from the field.

Ball's offensive rating this year is spectacular. In the clutch, it plummets to 105.0. Miller's the best in that metric among clutch-time players, and his rating sits at 106.4. They just can't score the basketball in those scenarios.

LaMelo Ball and Kon Knueppel each have a -14.2 net rating in clutch time. It's ugly. Why does this happen? It's hard to say other than the fact that they're all young and they have a young, second-year head coach.

Still, if they don't figure it out, it will cost them games in the playoffs, which could send them home.

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