The Charlotte Hornets have to figure things out if they want to make the playoffs this season. The Hornets dropped their fourth straight and to fall to 6-9 after a 123-110 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Friday night.
Gordon Hayward signed a 4-year, $120-million contract in the offseason, but head coach James Borrego insists he can't lead this team by himself.
Hayward is having a terrific start to the year, posting averages of 22.2 points with 5.1 boards and 3.7 assists thus far, but Borrego needs others to get involved.
The Hornets starting five isn't bad by any means, as PJ Washington, Terry Rozier, and Devonte Graham are all solid players, but at a certain point as games get tighter, they rely too heavily on their max man.
Borrego has a great point, which may open the door for their prized rookie – LaMelo Ball.
Ball has come off the bench in every game this year, and surprisingly has only played more than 30 minutes in two.
While Ball hasn't gotten off to the superstar start some expected, giving the talented rookie big minutes might help alleviate the pressure of Hayward.
Ball played just 16 minutes for the Hornets on Friday nigh despite a relatively anemic effort around Hayward.
Graham and Rozier are certainly capable of picking up the slack and easing some of the burdens of Hayward.
Though Graham has struggled after a breakout season last year averaging 18.2 points a game, as his average has dipped to just 12.5 so far this year.
Rozier is off to a better start than Graham as the ex-Celtic is averaging just under 20 points a game. But clearly, the peripheral players need to step up when the moment calls upon them. Gordon Hayward can't save them, alone.
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