Sporting a teal warm-up suit with a hoodie, LaMelo Ball emerged from a tunnel and through a specially illuminated entrance made to jazz up the first pregame introduction of the season. The Charlotte Hornets’ star point guard,

Some nights it’s the stifling defensive length of the Orlando Magic and the realization that this might take time to come together. Other nights, it’s a shorthanded, fatigued Charlotte Hornets roster that allows for uneven play to be enough.