On November 7, a fresh round of evaluations around the league turned the limelight right back onto Charlotte. The Hornets entered this season with one simple mission, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst: finally see what LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and No. 4 pick Kon Knueppel look like together over real minutes.

However, two weeks in, the plan is already wobbling. Miller is out indefinitely with a shoulder issue. Ball has missed time with an ankle tweak. And the franchise is once again trying to piece together answers on the fly.

An anonymous West scout, speaking to ESPN, delivered the sharpest criticism on the 24-year-old yet. With the Hornets’ star’s latest injury news, this wasn’t gentle at all:

“Yes, he’s talented, but he doesn’t take basketball seriously enough. It’s hard

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