Steve Clifford on Hornets' Struggles: 'Our Problem Is That We're Undertalented'

Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford didn't sugarcoat the reason for his team's struggles halfway through the season.

He said the Hornets are lacking talent, which leaves them with very little room for error in practice and games.

"One thing about the NBA player, if you want him to listen to you, you have to tell him the truth," Clifford told reporters. "So I tell them, they know there's little room for error. I also tell them the facts. Our problems aren't their effort, their work, how much they wanna win. Our problem is that we're undertalented."

The Hornets sit in 13th place in the Eastern Conference at 10-36. Since the turn of the new year, they have won just three games and are on a five-game losing streak.

A big reason for the Hornets' struggles has been injuries. Star point guard LaMelo Ball has played just 22 games due to an ankle injury that kept him out for all of December. In the games he has played this year, Ball is putting up 23.9 points, 8.0 assists and 5.1 rebounds.

The answer to Charlotte's struggles could be in a potential trade. The Hornets dealt guard Terry Rozier to the Miami Heat in exchange for Kyle Lowry and a first-round pick, but Lowry has not suited up for the team yet and it seems he could be on his way out in another trade.

Charlotte doesn't appear likely to snap its seven-season playoff drought this year, but if it can leverage some deals ahead of the trade deadline, the Hornets could rack up some valuable draft picks to continue building for the future.

In the meantime, Clifford will be looking for his team to push through, even if it is "undertalented."