The Charlotte Hornets finally got LaMelo Ball back on Wednesday after yet another lengthy spell on the sidelines. There's now more good news on the injury front, with Gordon Hayward set to return Friday against the Atlanta Hawks, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Woj first reported Thursday that Hayward could be back on the court Friday. He confirmed the news Friday morning.

“Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward plans to play vs. Atlanta tonight, his agent Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN. Hayward has missed nine straight games — and 17 of the past 20. Significant boost for the depleted Hornets.”

As Woj noted, the 32-year-old has already missed nine consecutive games for the Hornets, but it looks like they're finally get him back for this game to tip off the weekend.

Unfortunately for Charlotte, not even LaMelo's much-anticipated return was enough to help them scrape out a win against a struggling and shorthanded Detroit Pistons side on Wednesday. The Hornets have lost six straight games now and are looking like one of the worst teams in the NBA at the moment. In fact, their 7-21 record now stands as the worst in the entire league.

Unless this team starts racking up the wins really soon, this is going to be another wasted season for them. Perhaps the return of Gordon Hayward will give this team a much-needed boost, and the hope is that he will actually stay healthy moving forward. That has been an issue for him in recent season, so keep your fingers crossed.