The Charlotte Hornets are looking to start another win streak on Tuesday, and they are set to receive a boost with Coby White expected to finally suit up. Interestingly, his Hornets debut could also serve as his revenge game against his former team. Another piece of good news is that Ryan Kalkbrenner is available to play after a mild injury scare.
Until early Tuesday, White’s availability had still been up in the air. He was tagged as probable to play against the Chicago Bulls, although it would have been understandable if Charlotte wanted to err on the side of caution for now. Calf strains can be tricky to manage, especially if it’s true that the Bulls had their former starting guard play through the injury earlier this season.
It would be interesting to see not just White show what Chicago will be missing after it counted him as expendable at the trade deadline, but also how he would mesh with the rest of the Hornets’ rotation pieces.
As for Kalkbrenner, he had also been labeled as probable a day before the Bulls matchup. But it seems like he was able to brush off the ankle sprain he endured in Charlotte’s win over the Washington Wizards on Sunday. Moussa Diabate’s return from his four-game suspension should help take some load off the rookie’s shoulders in manning the paint for the club.
Hornets at full strength
Saying that Buzz City’s bout against another Eastern Conference rival is an all-important affair might be a bit of an exaggeration. However, at 27-31, it is so close to reaching a .500 record this late in the season for the first time in four years. Moreover, if the squad wants to make a successful run to the playoffs, it will have to fight tooth and nail for a higher seeding.
While the Bulls’ 24-34 standing and current nine-loss streak could suggest that the Hornets could be in for an easy night, that might not be the case at all. The contest will be held at the United Center, where the Bulls are 15-15 this campaign, and Collin Sexton could be inspired to give Charlotte a piece of his mind through a strong performance.
On the other hand, it’s tough to bet against the Hornets when they are at full strength at last.
We all know how their offense stalls whenever LaMelo Ball has to rest. Also, Charles Lee has loved playing the starters as much as possible, and it’s for good reason because the five-man combination of Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Miles Bridges, and Diabate has performed at an elite rate this year. With White leading the second unit, Charlotte can potentially field a productive lineup at any point in the game.
Hopefully, though, White and Kalkbrenner won’t aggravate their injuries, as they are obviously vital to the Hornets’ pursuit of more wins in the final six-and-a-half weeks of the regular season.