With Ball, Monk and Hayward hurt, how will Hornets scramble to find enough offense?

The Charlotte Hornets are running out of scorers fast.

With LaMelo Ball and Malik Monk already out for weeks, the Hornets received awful news Saturday that small forward Gordon Hayward will miss at least the next four weeks with a right foot sprain.

Ball (broken wrist), Monk (sprained ankle) and Hayward combine for nearly 49 points per game this season, or roughly 44% of Charlotte’s scoring. Tiny as the 25-23 Hornets’ margin for error is this season, coach James Borrego will spend the month of April scrambling for alternatives.

“It’s going to be different lineups and it’s going to be tinkering throughout each game. I’m probably going to have to play even more small now to find offense,” Borrego said Friday, before Hayward hurt his foot in a victory over the Indiana Pacers. “Obviously, LaMelo and Malik were two guys generating a ton of offense for us. On their own, getting downhill, creating for us.”

The Hornets are attempting to break a four-season streak without a playoff appearance. Their fourth-place record in the Eastern Conference is impressive, but also fragile. In a packed race in the East, only 1 1/2 games separates fourth from the eighth-place Celtics, who the Hornets play in Boston Sunday.

The Hornets have a winning record this season primarily on their ability to close games in the clutch (they are 20-0 this season when leading entering the fourth quarter). But their margin for error is so tiny that the Hornets have been collectively outscored by 26 points this season.

Ball has been the NBA’s top rookie this season and his biggest impact on the Hornets was pushing the pace for easy transition baskets.

“We miss our engine,” Borrego said of Ball, who broke his wrist March 20 against the Los Angeles Clippers. It’s possible Ball might recover in time for the end of the regular season, but is probably at least a month away from playing. Monk is out at least two weeks, Borrego said Friday.

The Hornets rode out Ball’s absence initially with better defense, going 4-1 right after the diagnosis. Borrego has started center Bismack Biyombo, primarily a defender, and rationed more minutes to Cody Martin, Charlotte’s top defender, to make that happen.

As Borrego said pre-game Friday, you can’t win many NBA games scoring 89 points, the Hornets’ season-low total Thursday against the Brooklyn Nets. So he might have to compromise some defensively to get enough scoring on the floor to be offensively viable.

Some potential adjustments Borrego has mentioned:

Going small more up-front

Playing small-ball with the 6-foot-7 P.J. Washington at center, alongside 6-7 Bridges at power forward, more frequently isn’t ideal in matching up size-wise. But it’s a way for Borrego to pursue more interior scoring, particularly with Biyombo’s offensive limitations.

Going small became further complicated Saturday by Hayward’s injury projection. If Bridges becomes this team’s primary small forward, that could cut into the time Bridges might be available as a small-ball power forward.

Extending starters’ minutes

Monk’s absence would have meant asking small forward Hayward to play more minutes in the short run. Now, it could mean a heavier burden on Bridges and guards Devonte Graham and Terry Rozier.

Monk was the alternative as a primary scorer when Borrego needed to get Hayward a rest. The only other reserve seemingly capable of big scoring games is Bridges, who also expends lots of energy as a defender-rebounder.

Go deeper into the bench

Borrego played veteran guard Brad Wanamaker, acquired in a deadline trade, 30 minutes against the Pacers. While Wanamaker isn’t a dynamic scorer or playmaker, his experience and steadiness is appealing to Borrego with Ball and Monk unavailable in the backcourt.

Borrego could also turn more to Caleb Martin and Jalen McDaniels, neither of whom has played much since the All-Star break.

Three-guard offense

Shortly before All-Star break, Borrego experimented with using three-guard combinations, risking that the lack of size would be compensated for by better offensive options.

Borrego said he’s open to more of that, even without Ball or Monk as options. That would likely mean Wanamaker playing with Graham and Rozier. That typically puts a big defensive burden on 6-foot-2 Rozier to guard the opponent’s small forward.