The Charlotte Hornets took part in a meaningless preseason game against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. It could prove to be costly with LaMelo Ball exiting in the third quarter after rolling his ankle.
The former NBA Rookie of the Year was seen in considerable pain after Wizards veteran Anthony Gill inadvertently stepped on Ball’s foot. The star guard exited the game and did not return to action.
We now have some updates on Ball’s status with the preseason coming to an end here soon. The Hornets provided their own update, indicating that Ball did in fact suffer an ankle sprain while stopping short of providing a timeline for a return.
“The results of guard LaMelo Ball’s MRI confirmed the initial diagnosis of a L ankle sprain. His return to full basketball activities will be determined by his response to rehab and treatment and further updates on his status will be provided as appropriate.”
Charlotte Hornets press release on LaMelo Ball’s injury
Shams Charania of The Athletic notes that he suffered a Grade 2 left ankle sprain and is expected to miss some time to open the regular season.
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Preseason game proves costly for LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets
In addition to Ball’s ankle injury, Charlotte big man Mason Plumlee also exited with a left foot sprain. Charlotte has one preseason game remaining against the Philadelphia 76ers. Obviously, both Ball and Plumlee are out for that one.
The larger question here is when Ball might be able to return to action. Charlotte opens up its regular-season action against the San Antonio Spurs a week from Wednesday. It then takes on the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 23 before a date with the New York Knicks at Madison Square Guarden on Oct. 26.
- LaMelo Ball stats (2021-22): 20.1 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 7.6 APG, 43% shooting, 39% 3-point
A first-time All-Star as a sophomore this past season, Ball’s importance to the Hornets can’t be overstated. Considering that the team did not re-sign star forward Miles Bridges due to some major off-court issues this past summer, missing Ball for an extended period of time would not be great.