“Lamelo Ball Coming Off the Bench”: Draymond Green Blasts Hornets For Voluntarily Tanking

The 2025-26 NBA season has seen the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, and Philadelphia 76ers join the elites of the league. And as always, there has been some horrific basketball played on the other end of the spectrum. The Charlotte Hornets epitomize that bottom half. The worst part? It does not look like they care either.

The Hornets are 16–27 and sit 12th in the East. There have been flashes of competent and even “beautiful” basketball from team superstar LaMelo Ball. Yet, for some reason, Ball has been coming off the bench even though he has been the lone bright spot on a struggling roster.

It has led some to start asking questions, including Draymond Green, who addressed the Hornets’ suspicious moves on the latest edition of his podcast. He even brought up the narrative that they may be tanking on purpose.

However, Green noted that commissioner Adam Silver and top league officials are expected to penalize organizations if that happens.

“Apparently, they are going to penalize tanking, and I would say, great. That can’t happen fast enough. Because the Charlotte Hornets are a team that is tanking right in your face in plain sight,” stated Dray.

It is a difficult thing to determine whether they are tanking on purpose, though. The Hornets have not been relevant for a while. Is this tanking, or is it more likely that a small-market team without a strong general manager is simply untalented? It is hard to say.

Green, however, remains suspicious. His Warriors are coming off a 136-116 victory over Charlotte this past Saturday. He brought up how Ball was coming off the bench, a move he just couldn’t wrap his head around.

“The fact that they have LaMelo Ball coming off the bench, I found very interesting. They are a much worse team and so easy to guard when LaMelo is not on the floor,” said Green.

Draymond Green calls out the Hornets for tanking

“The fact they have Lamelo Ball coming off the bench… They are a much worse team and so easy to guard when Lamelo is not on the floor… that’s just the nature of sorry teams”

(h/t @NBA__Courtside)pic.twitter.com/gyOLbPm0LE

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) January 19, 2026

The four-time champion recalled how Ball hit four straight threes against the Warriors, only to be removed from the game before returning with just a few minutes left in the fourth quarter. At that point, the outcome was no longer in question.

The 35-year-old defensive guru is curious why the Hornets have not explained that decision. After all, Ball is the team’s highest-paid player by a significant margin.

“Why is there nothing to explain about that? LaMelo Ball is on a max contract — one of the young, talented guys in this league. And there is nothing to explain about that? That’s weird to me. That’s tanking right in front of your face, in plain sight tanking,” Green insisted.

Whether Charlotte is actively tanking or simply trapped in another cycle of poor decision-making almost feels beside the point at this stage. Their franchise player’s role is a mystery, and their rotations make veterans around the league raise an eyebrow. And the only public explanation is silence.

Fans and analysts are left to fill in the blanks themselves. Yes, there are top prospects in the 2026 draft, such as Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Cameron Boozer. But is this tanking, if deliberate, really worth it?

That is a dangerous place for any organization, especially one that has already lived on the NBA’s fringe for years. Development is one thing, and incompetence is another.

But when losing starts to feel intentional, it erodes trust and effort across the board. Tanking does not just cost games. It drains the competitive spirit that sports are built on.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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