Swarm and Sting
Fansided

Charlotte Hornets’ LaMelo Ball injury latest in painful season

By W.B. Whitted

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - APRIL 07: LaMelo Ball #2 of the Charlotte Hornets lobs up the ball for an alley-oop in the fourth quarter during their game against the Orlando Magic at Spectrum Center on April 07, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - APRIL 07: LaMelo Ball #2 of the Charlotte Hornets lobs up the ball for an alley-oop in the fourth quarter during their game against the Orlando Magic at Spectrum Center on April 07, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Injuries are a part of basketball. Everyone who has ever played or watched the games knows this. But it sure seems like the Charlotte Hornets can never have a healthy stretch of games from their most important players. It’s a trend that re-emerged on Monday night.

The Hornets welcomed the Detroit Pistons Monday evening for their third matchup of the season. The Hornets were riding a four-game win streak, and the Pistons were on a four-game losing streak. The Hornets made their first seven three-pointers and were up 20 at the end of the 1st quarter. They were cruising to a victory, the first over the Pistons this season.

Then LaMelo Ball’s ankle fractured in the 3rd quarter during the guard’s crossover move.

The Hornets would hold on for the win. But that obviously isn’t the story. With 19 games remaining on the schedule, Ball’s season is likely done. He has missed a total of 65 games so far in his three-year career—with that number to grow once this season is finished.

Charlotte Hornets can’t stay healthy

What is perhaps more maddening about the injury and its timing, is that part of the reason for the recent win streak was that the team was just about as healthy as it had been all season. Apart from PJ Washington (who sprained his foot in a victory over Minnesota recently), the team had nearly its full complement of players.

A healthy Hornets team just hasn’t seemed to be in the cards this season. Gordon Hayward missed multiple games with shoulder and leg issues, Terry Rozier (the team’s high scorer against the Pistons) missed seven out of the team’s first nine games with injury.

This will be Ball’s third injury stint on the bench this season. The 2020-21 Rookie of the Year missed 23 of the first 26 games with injuries.

It will be interesting to see what the Hornets do with their playing time allocation. Dennis Smith Jr. has shown promise as a starter when Ball was out earlier in the season. Rozier will undoubtedly take on more of a facilitator role to help make up for the passing and playmaking that’ll be missing with Ball out with injury. Perhaps this would be a good time for James Bouknight to get some time.

The explosive 6’5 guard showed flashes of high-level play earlier in the season but fell out of the rotation once Ball and Rozier were back. He was recently recalled from the Hornets’ G-League team. With fewer than 20 games remaining in the season, it might be a good idea to figure out what the 22-year-old can do. The rest of this season needs to be about what the future of the team looks like. Because the present has been one of disappointment.

Home/Hornets News