What a crushing loss to the Pelicans says about the Charlotte Hornets

If there was ever a winnable game, it was what the Charlotte Hornets had last night. They were on the road, but they were facing the 0-6 New Orleans Pelicans (the last winless team in the West), and Zion Williamson was out. It should've been a fairly easy win.

The Hornets were without LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, but they routed the Utah Jazz the game before without those two. This stunning loss, which came after a mind-numbing collapse late in the fourth quarter, says a lot about this Hornets team, though.

What we learned from a stunning Hornets loss

Nov 4, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; (editors note: obscene gesture) Charlotte Hornets guard Collin Sexton (8) gestures to the basketball rim after missing his first foul shot and then making his second foul shot against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

It should not come as a surprise that the Hornets, who have a history of doing exactly this, melted down and lost a game they should've won. They have the reputation they do for a reason. However, at least initially, it seemed like these Hornets were different.

At 3-4, they'd beat up on teams they were clearly better than, indicating that they're a cut above that bottom tier they inhabited last season. A loss to the Pelicans means that might not be the case. They might still be closer to that bottom tier than anything else.

It also taught us that the Hornets need LaMelo Ball more than ever. They're deeper and more equipped to play competent basketball with him out, but they would've easily won had he been in the lineup. Yes, they beat the Jazz without him, but this game says more.

Ball makes everyone around him a little better. Even though the Hornets have done well to plan for his inevitable absences, which are growing more and more frustrating, this is still a team that needs its star and leader.

When the Hornets got down big to a bad team, the Washington Wizards, earlier this year, a halftime speech from Ball jump-started them, and his excellent play led them to a comeback win. That was badly needed last night, but without Ball, they crumbled.

Plus, after going almost three and a half minutes without a point to end the game, they could've used someone who historically scores well in the fourth quarter.

This loss also means that head coach Charles Lee isn't quite capable of getting the most out of his players. It's still far too early to judge or call for him to be fired, but a great coach would've been able to steal a win in that contest. Instead, the team crumbled.

Lee had them playing competitive basketball with a rotation of 10-day contracts playing meaningful minutes last year, so I'm not willing to let one game tarnish everything. However, this was a bad loss that someone like Erik Spoelstra, Billy Donovan, and other good coaches would have probably avoided.

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