Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball reportedly will miss the remainder of the season as he continues to rehab his injured ankle, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
The Hornets have been dealing with LaMelo Ball's absence since Jan. 26 due to the ankle injury he is currently dealing with.
Ball's season is done after playing just 22 games for the Hornets. However, there were plenty of reasons to like what he showed in the small sample size. Ball averaged 23.9 points per game with 5.1 rebounds and 8 assists this season. He flashed the ability that the Hornets believed they were getting when they drafted him.
The concern for the Hornets is that this is the second straight year in which he has missed a lot of time due to injury. In the 2022-2023 season, Ball played in just 36 games, while still posting good numbers. There is not much doubt when it comes to Ball's talents. It is the health that is the question with him.
In Ball's first year, he played in 41 games in the 2020-2021 season at 19 years old, winning the Rookie of the Year award. Then, in his second year in the league, Ball played in 75 games and made the All-Star game. He still has that ability, but it is about staying on the court.
The Hornets have struggled a lot in recent years, but there is some young talent on the roster now. Ball is one of those players, and his health will be vital to the team's future in the next couple of years. Other players like Brandon Miller give reasons for hope in the next few years as well.
Miles Bridges has been a player who has shown his ability on the court as well. Ball and Miles Bridges have averaged over 20 points per game this year, while Brandon Miller is at 17 points per game. There is reason for hope when it comes to Miller's development over the years as he earns a bigger role in the offense for the Hornets as well.
Hornets' outlook for the rest of the season
Charlotte is firmly out of the playoff picture at 18-54, and the goal for them is to try to finish the season strong and potentially play spoiler down the stretch, hoping young players like Brandon Miller continue to show promise. There are 10 games left this season against the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Boston Celtics, Portland Trail Blazers, Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks, Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.
There are plenty of opportunities to play spoiler down the stretch against contending teams, like the Hornets did on Wednesday, when they beat the Cavaliers at home by the score of 118-111.
They will unfortunately have to try to do that without Ball on the court.
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