This was a tough one, as the Hornets took a 144-117 loss to the Miami Heat. It was a “shellacking,” and it exposed some real concerns. We’ll start with the maturity of LaMelo Ball, who seemed to revert to some old, frustrating habits—complaining to the officials, defensive lapses, and a costly technical foul. This performance keeps the fire burning on the question of whether he can be the consistent leader this team needs, especially when the pressure mounts.

But it wasn’t all negative. The bright spot continues to be rookie Kon Knueppel. His shooting is simply elite; he’s already set an NBA record for threes through five games and was one of the only Hornets who could effectively get to the rim against Miami’s defense. We’ll also look at the “Trash Panda,” Ryan Kalkbrenner, and his unbelievable efficiency numbers. We also explore the offensive struggles as a whole, including the difficulty getting bigs involved and Tre Mann’s slow start.

To wrap up the show, we have some fun with our annual Hornets Halloween costume ideas. Find out which player is a Blue Angels pilot , who is Michael Myers , and why LaMelo Ball’s perfect costume is Dr. Ball and Mr. Hyde. Thank you for supporting the show.

Support all the Hornets content creators out there this Saturday: Pregame party at The Local on November 1st 4-5:30 hosted by the Crown Club

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hornets.substack.com/subscribe