Charlotte Hornets forward Nicolas Batum was held out of Thursday's practice session due to a sore right Achilles, according to a report from Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.
Batum was held out of the second half of Wednesday's preseason loss to the Miami Heat due to this soreness. He logged 14 minutes, recording just two rebounds and one steal. The Hornets will likely take a cautious approach with his return, as he's an important piece of the team's roster.
.@nicolas88batum did not practice with @hornets today, after missing second half last night with a sore Achilles.
— Rick Bonnell (@rick_bonnell) October 10, 2019
If Batum, who will earn a team-high $25.6 million this season, has to miss time due to his ailment, Malik Monk and Dwayne Bacon would likely see upticks in their usage rates.
Batum's numbers have fallen off a bit in recent years. The 30-year-old Frenchman made 75 appearances with the Hornets last regular season (72 starts), racking up averages of 9.3 points on 45.0 percent shooting from the field (38.9 percent from beyond the arc), 5.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and just under one steal (0.9) in 31.4 minutes per outing.
The Hornets will be back for more preseason action on Friday night, when they'll serve as hosts to the Philadelphia 76ers. Tip-off inside Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Winston-Salem, NC) is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
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