Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and head coach Steve Clifford admits they don't know how long the playmaker will be out.

In a bit of a good news for the team, though, an X-ray on Ball's injured ankle came back negative. More tests are expected to be done in order to determine the severity of his injury, but at least there doesn't seem to be any structural issue.

“We'll be without him here. I don't think we have any idea how long,” Clifford said of Ball's injury, per Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer.

LaMelo Ball sustained the injury late in the fourth quarter of their Wednesday showdown with the Indiana Pacers. The Hornets star accidentally stepped on the foot of a fan who was sitting courtside. He tweaked his left ankle and immediately grimaced in pain as he struggled to put any weight on it.

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Charlotte quickly took him out of the game, putting a damper on what was a brilliant night for Ball. Before he was forced to exit, the 21-year-old guard had 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting–including 5-of-8 from the 3-point line.

The bigger issue for Ball is that he injured the same ankle that kept him sidelined for the first 13 games of the 2022-23 season. He picked up the said injury during the preseason. With that said, it won't be a surprise if the Hornets opt to be more cautious in their approach for his recovery and return.