The Charlotte Hornets were hit by a huge blow last week when their starting small forward, Nicolas Batum, injured his elbow, which will force him to miss a significant amount of time. There were even some reports that suggested he could be done for the entirety of the season, which would have been devastating to him and the team. However, he remained positive despite the setback, as he knows it’s not his shooting arm, and that they have a deeper bench this year.
Now there’s more good news for him, as after visiting a specialist in Dallas on Monday, tests revealed that surgery won’t be necessary to repair it, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Although it will still need time for it to recover completely, not going under the knife is definitely a good sign.
“Charlotte Hornets guard Nic Batum got encouraging news from a Dallas specialist, indicating surgery isn’t necessary to heal from the torn ligament in his left elbow, a source said Tuesday morning.”
“Batum flew to Dallas Monday to get a second opinion on the injury. While the Hornets are still exploring the best course of treatment, surgery appears not to be necessary.”
No timetable has been set yet for his return, but Batum understands he won’t be able to play yet in the immediate future. He also shared how he feels whenever he moves his arm, and gave the fans an idea of its condition.
“It’s going to be long, but not that long,” Batum said before traveling to Dallas. “If it were my shooting arm, it would be a lot longer. At max, it’s three months.”
“When I put my arms up, I feel something. If this were my shooting arm, it would be like a tragedy. It’s not and that’s good.”
The 28-year-old French international is coming off a solid campaign with the Hornets last season. He appeared in a total of 77 games for them and averaged a career-best 15.1 points and 5.9 assists, to go along with 6.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 34.minutes per game.
His injury may be a tricky one to deal with, but with the treatment he is set to receive from team doctor, and the specialist he saw on Monday, he is definitely in good hands, and could speed up his road to recovery. The latest development can be considered encouraging news for him as well, as the chances of him seeing action this coming season has certainly increased.
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