There are two good results that can come out of the preseason. One, the team or particular players play well, and you can convince yourself that it means that we’ve got a good squad on our hands. But if the team plays poorly, you can write it off as meaningless preseason basketball, especially if you still have the second good result in your back pocket—health. “As long as we come out of preseason healthy, we’re good.”
The Charlotte Hornets got neither of those results. Not only did they lose all five of their preseason contests, they also lost their best player LaMelo Ball to an ankle injury (though it seems to be relatively minor).