Ahead of their matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, the Charlotte Hornets will be without Gordon Hayward, who recently suffered a left calf strain during Charlotte's previous outing against the Los Angeles Clippers, as per the Hornets PR team.

Hayward has been a steady role player in the Hornets' offense, with current season averages of 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. While the 33-year-old has seen a slight drop in numbers compared to previous seasons, his veteran presence and the experience he brings to a young team such as Charlotte still factor in the team's overall performance.

The Hornets' ongoing struggles

However, the Hornets are currently trying to find answers to what has been a very sub-par season. With only seven wins out of 28 games so far, the Hornets are down below at 13th place in the Eastern Conference. To make things worse, the team enters their Thursday outing against the Lakers coming off an eight-game losing streak. This may be attributed to the absence of their star LaMelo Ball, who went down with an ankle injury back on November 26.

Aside from Gordon Hayward and LaMelo, the Hornets will also sideline big man Mark Williams (lower back contusion) and guard Frank Ntilikina (left tibia) for their upcoming game. On the bright side, rookie Brandon Miller has been cleared to see action against the Lakers.

As the Hornets continue to battle injuries amidst a losing season, the Charlotte faithful may have to be more patient with the team. Because at the moment, there's hardly any sign of a turnaround.