LaMelo Ball was diagnosed with a fractured wrist after undergoing an MRI in San Antonio, costing him the season in which he is expected to win Rookie of the Year. However, individual accolades aside, his injury led to several questions about the season of the Charlotte Hornets.
Melo hurt his right wrist it in their matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday. In 41games so far, he has averaged 15.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.6 steals (seventh in the NBA). He also leads all rookies in assists and steals and is second in scoring and rebounds. Ball seemed to be on pace not only to win ROY in a landslide fashion but also potentially help the Hornets make their first postseason run since 2016.
Now that he's down and out, the Hornets may struggle down the road and a lot of questions and concerns are certain to pop up over the course of the season.
Here is the play where LaMelo Ball fractured his right wrist ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/MO1NdpAIUu
— Bally Sports: Hornets (@HornetsOnBally) March 22, 2021
LaMelo Ball controls the pace of the game years beyond his age. He is able to find his teammates in rhythm for easy shots or cuts to the basket. Replacing that kind of production as the team's go-to playmaker will be tough, but not impossible. Coach James Borrego is going to have to rely heavily on Devonte' Graham to step up and steady the ship.
Graham was the starter for the Hornets last season and most of this 2020-21 before being supplanted by Ball. Regardless, it is going to be hard to replicate LaMelo's kind of production because he has shown he can score with the best of them.
Even with Ball possibly being out all season, it is important for the Hornets to remain competitive and fight for an opportunity to be part of the playoffs. The Hornets are currently sitting on the 8th spot at 20-21, but they can easily move up if they string together some wins. The squad is composed of a nice mix of young players and a few veterans, so staying competitive in the Eastern Conference is a doable task.
This is also the perfect time to evaluate guys like Miles Bridges and PJ Washington. Both guys were lottery picks in their respective draft classes and are going to have to step up. It will be interesting to see which one will be able to elevate their game.
Washington is only 22 and Bridges is 23, so it is safe to assume the Hornets would like them to grow and be apart of the team's long-term plan. Finding ways to step up in the absence of LaMelo Ball and getting wins can solidify big contracts for both of them whenever it is time to talk extensions.
The last thing that the Hornets need to do is tank. Sure, it would be awesome to pair LaMelo up with another lottery pick, but it will be disappointing to see Charlotte pull the plug–especially since this might be the best basketball we have seen from the team in the past decade.
They Hornets have been fun to watch and have gained the attention of several NBA fans around the world. Whether it is a crazy crossover by LaMelo or Terry Rozier, or a high-flying dunk from Bridges, this team is slowly becoming a box office attraction. Even if Ball is forced to sit out the remainder of the campaign, we should still expect them to go out there and play the best 48 minutes possible.
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