Imagine you’re in the NBA, and you manage to beat LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers. Huge feat, right? But what if, immediately after, you go on a 6-game losing skid, with the most recent loss coming at the hands of the bottom-seed team in the Eastern Conference? Hard to imagine now? Well, for LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets, this is the harsh reality. Judging from what we saw during tonight’s game, the level might be breaking.

The Hornets lost to the Washington Wizards tonight. They were leading the first half though, which makes the loss even worse. But the loss itself wasn’t what had people murmuring about the Hornets’ current plight. No, it was an odd interaction between LaMelo Ball and his coach,  Charles Lee.

During the broadcast, the camera focused on LaMelo as he walked to the Hornets bench in the 3rd quarter. What’s the big deal? Well, he appeared to willfully shoulder-bump his head coach. What made it worse was that he acknowledged his assistant coach normally. If we’re putting two and two together, it may seem as though Lee might have lost the Hornets’ locker room.

Although there has been no confirmation of this, the fact that this moment was shown during the broadcast is very telling. Melo’s actions come off as insubordination. And even if he had no such intentions, doing something like this in front of so many people isn’t the best look for him or his team.

But if he is frustrated with the Hornets and Lee, we totally get it. LaMelo is far above the best player on this Hornets roster. He’s averaging 26.1 points and 7 assists per game, but the Hornets are still losing. What a waste.

But if you’re wondering, “Are the Hornets really that bad right now?” Let us make the situation a little clearer.

A look into LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets’ woes

Tonight’s loss to the Washington Wizards was especially humiliating for Charlotte. The Wizards are the bottom seed in the Eastern Conference. They only have 11 wins this season, but 4 of those have come against the Hornets.

Miles Bridges summed it up perfectly. “They [Wizards] are supposed to be the worst team in the league, and they beat us four times. So what does that make us?” he questioned. But the Wizards loss is only the latest in a pattern of ineptitude from the Hornets.

LaMelo and co. lost the games against the Golden State Warriors, the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Sacramento Kings by more than 30 points. The Portland loss was insane, with a final scoreline of 141-88. For those of you who don’t like math, that’s a 53-point difference! No wonder a neighborhood in Charlotte is now asking for free tickets. We wouldn’t want to pay to watch our team lose every game, either.

It’s not hard to see why the Hornets locker room may have lost its faith in the leadership of Charles Lee. The Hornets are tied with the Philadelphia 76ers for the worst record in the league in their last 10 games. Both are 1-9 in their last 10. And Tyrese Maxey seems to be LaMelo’s counterpart in Philly. Meaning they seem to be the only ones trying to keep their team afloat. Well, at least Melo has Miles Bridges. Maxey’s got no one after Embiid’s injury.

As it stands, we don’t know for sure whether the relationship between Charles Lee and his team has broken down. However, we do know one thing. The Hornets need to change their ways immediately otherwise, they may lose the best player they have on their roster!