New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Charlotte Hornets, according to Will Guillory of The Athletic:
Pelicans announce Lonzo Ball (right adductor strain) will be OUT tonight against Charlotte
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) November 9, 2019
Ball has been dealing with the adductor strain all week. He was held out of practice on Wednesday, but still suited up during Friday night's loss to the Toronto Raptors.
The Pelicans will hold Ball out of the second game of this back-to-back.
Ball had a somewhat tenuous beginning to his Pelicans career. He refuted claims by Big Baller Brand co-founder Alan Foster suggesting that he had torn ligaments in his ankle during the preseason after missing 47 games last season due to an ankle injury. Ball was then benched for the entire fourth quarter during the season opener against the Raptors.
Despite starting every game for the Pelicans, Ball has struggled to get into a rhythm. He is averaging 11.5 points, 6.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds per contest and shooting close to 37 percent from beyond the arc, but his mid-range game leaves much to be desired. Ball is just 2-of-13 on all shot attempts between 10 and 22 feet.
The Pelicans were regarded as a potential sleeper in the Western Conference, but an early injury to Zion Williamson has apparently zapped the life from the franchise.
New Orleans is 1-7 through the first eight games, ranking dead-last in opponents scoring average and 29th out of 30 teams in defensive rating, according to Basketball-Reference.
Brandon Ingram is playing like an All-Star, but Jrue Holiday has been extremely disappointing, and the Pelicans' lack of chemistry on the defensive side of the ball has hindered the team.
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