Just when you begin to think that things couldn't get worse for the Charlotte Hornets, they find a way to surprise you.

The Hornets were pummeled by Jayson Tatum (34 points) and the Celtics on Friday night at the Spectrum Center in a game that was over before it ever tipped off. Boston came out of the gates with bad intentions, knowing that an undermanned Charlotte squad was ripe for the taking.

Let's dive into a handful of takeaways from the loss.

Brandon Miller Goes Down

This is adding injury to insult.

Miller exited the game late in the second quarter with a groin injury and didn't return. Unless the newly-minted $200M forward makes a miraculous recovry in less than 72 hours, the Hornets are looking at an upcoming matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers without Miller, Kon Knueppel, and Grant Williams.

Not to mention the fact that Moussa Diabate, Dennis Schröder, and Coby White are all nursing injuries of their own.

The Hornets were applauded for their depth all summer. Well, that depth has now been decimated just two weeks into the NBA season, forcing head coach Charles Lee to trot out lineups like this one that played in the second half: Christian Anderson Jr., Sion James, Liam McNeeley, Royce O'Neale, and Hannes Steinbach.

Nothing against those guys at all. All five of them are NBA-caliber players who deserve a spot on a roster.

However, it is unfathomable that they shared the floor in the third quarter of a game in November.

Beaten at Their Own Game

The similarities between Charlotte and Boston are evident.

Charles Lee, a branch of Joe Mazzulla's coaching tree, wants his Hornets to play like the Celtics by firing away from deep and dominating the possession game by cleaning the glass on both ends.

Tonight was a clear case of the master sonning the student at their own game.

Through three quarters the Celtics were +30 in the three-point department (18 makes to Charlotte's eight) and +8 on the glass (42-34). The Hornets couldn't shoot the ball into water if they were on a boat right now. Something about their offense has to change ASAP.

Compounding Mistakes

There are moments where it just looks like the Hornets have never played together.

Mis-timed and inaccurate entry passes. Multiple back court violations. Throwing the ball to an undersized guard at the rim on a fast break when they have no chance at getting a shot up over a defender. Some of the mistakes are just comical at this point, and when you're at a talent disadvantage like Charlotte is most night, those mistakes snowball into major deficits that they just can't overcome.

Especially against teams like Boston that prey on mistake-prone teams like this one.

Starting Lineup Change Can't Spark Offense

I was intrigued by the starting lineup change Charlotte made with Diabate sidelined. Lee went with Coby White, Grayson Allen, Brandon Miller, Naz Reid, and Ryan Kalkbrenner in his starting five. I had hoped that some added floor spacing in the form of Allen would unlock something for the league's worst offense.

Unfortunately, that five-man unit only mustered nine points in the first six minutes of the game. It's going to take more than just a starting lineup change to breathe life back into the Hornets' offense. It's going to take an exorcism.