Mired in a losing season, the Charlotte Hornets have been enjoying a bit of success as of late, winning four in a row heading into Monday night’s scrum against the Detroit Pistons. LaMelo Ball, the 2020-21 NBA Rookie of the Year, has been a big reason for their resurgence, averaging 27.3 PPG, 11.5 APG, and 8.8 RPG in that four-game window.
Ball, leading the Hornets in points, assists, and three-point percentage, is by far the team’s best player. But, unfortunately, the magnificent 21-year-old point guard suffered an injury during Monday night’s contest, and he had to leave the game.
Here’s the clip where Ball appeared to have suffered what we now know is a fractured right ankle, according to Shams Charania.
According to Ball, he “heard it pop,” which usually isn’t a good indication. Shortly after the game, the official diagnosis came in, with Ball suffering an ankle fracture.
As you can expect, Ball did not return to Charlotte’s 117-106 victory over Detroit, leaving after 21 minutes on the floor. Now the Hornets have a day off, with their next game not coming until Wednesday, March 1, against the Phoenix Suns, but that won’t matter in Ball’s case.
Either way, even after their impressive play, the Hornets aren’t in playoff contention, sitting a full 9.5 games behind the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference. Don’t expect Ball to rush back to the floor at anything less than 100% any time soon, which means he’s likely out for the rest of the season.
The Hornets have just 19 games left on their regular season schedule. But, Ball should be good to go in time before the 2023-24 schedule begins. Hopefully, the Hornets can get him more roster help.
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