The Charlotte Hornets may have won an entertaining match against the Chicago Bulls, but their win came at a cost. Veteran wing Nicolas Batum has gone down with an injury in his middle finger.

Shams Charania of The Athletic confirmed that the small forward sustained a broken middle finger. It's still unknown how long he will be sidelined given the injury, but the Hornets are expected to take precautions to ensure that he's going to recover fully.

They Hornets are paying $25 million to Batum this season, so his injury is a big hit on the Hornets.

Batum's on-court contributions haven't been that impactful as of late, averaging only 9.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists last season. With that said, it won't help that he will be sidelined for some time due to the injury

The French forward played for only 11 minutes in their game against the Bulls, finishing with four rebounds and two assists.

However, there are reasons to watch the Hornets despite the poor outlook ahead of them. PJ Washington had an extraordinary debut game, making it to the history books with six made triples — the most 3-pointers ever in a career debut.

Moreover, Miles Bridges is looking to build on his rookie campaign and finish with Most Improved honors. His opening stats of eight points, five rebounds, and three assists doesn't stray far from his rookie numbers, but his determination should mean a lot of good for Charlotte moving forward.

It's going to be a long season for the Hornets, and they can only hope that Batum steps up to play and live up to the money the team is paying him.