The Charlotte Hornets’ loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday was understandable. They have fielded their regular players for the first time this season, although three of them have not yet fully recovered from their injuries.

On the opposite corner was a Sixers team that may have been without Joel Embiid and Jared McCain, but was still led by two All-Star players in Tyrese Maxey and Paul George. The pair combined for 73 points, outscoring the entire Hornets starting lineup.

Thursday, however, was a different story. The Hornets had no business losing to the Washington Wizards, who despite winning are still behind every team in the standings this season. At this rate, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Charlotte join them in the basement after losing 11 of their last 12 games.

LaMelo Ball currently has the third highest usage rate in a season

Hornets star LaMelo Ball tried his best to lead his team to victory and scored 34 points, 13 assists and four steals. However, he shot just 11-32 from the field and 3-18 from the 3-point line. Interestingly, this wasn’t even his worst shooting night of the 2024-25 season.

Waiving Brandon Miller was too much for the Hornets’ offense, although the good news for the organization is that the second-year swingman could return soon.

Still, Charlotte has shown an over-reliance on Ball, even as Miller has gotten fit. In fact, the 2022 All-Star leads the league in usage rate this season at 39.7 percent. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic are well behind.

If he maintains this pace for the rest of the season, Ball would end up with the third-highest usage rate in a season. Russell Westbrook holds the record at 41.7 percent, which he shot during his MVP run in the 2016-17 season. Second is James Harden. The former Houston Rockets superstar had a 40.5 percent usage rate during the 2018-19 season, which helped him finish second in the MVP race after winning it the year before.

While Westbrook and Harden will likely end up in the Hall of Fame one day, their games haven’t necessarily been associated with winning basketball. And if Ball writes his name into the record books, it might not help his reputation.

Some people already agree that he has an “empty calorie game,” and there are Hornets fans who have urged the front office to trade the former Rookie of the Year for assets that could help the team in the future .

Of course, it’s unfair to place the blame for Charlotte’s woes solely on Ball. The franchise also needs to do a better job of providing him with the support he needs. Strengthening the squad is not enough as the coaching staff also needs to improve its offensive playbook. Otherwise, the Hornets could end up in further free fall in the standings and risk making their star unhappy.