Hornets star LaMelo Ball won’t suit up in the team’s matchup against the Knicks tonight. The news came as a gut punch as the 23-year-old is having the best season of his young career. Ball played the entirety of Charlotte’s last game against the Heat and didn’t show any signs of hindrance. However, Hornets head coach, Charles Lee provided clarity on the situation.
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Ball has been the one saving grace for the Hornets amid their 6-12 start to the 2024-25 season. However, that may quickly change as the star guard is dealing with discomfort in his calf. Lee broke down the moment which caused the cautionary measures taken by the team. He said,
“[LaMelo] trying to get open on that last play of the game, he just felt a little something. With the holiday yesterday and early tip today, we haven’t had a lot of time to evaluate him. They’re going to continue doing that, but it’s an unfortunate situation. We’ll get it under control and report something later.”
️ Charles Lee on LaMelo Ball’s injury:
“…trying to get open on that last play of the game, he just felt a little something. With the holiday yesterday and early tip today, we haven’t had a lot of time to evaluate him. They’re going to continue doing that, but it’s an… pic.twitter.com/PkK9VVTqLw
— /r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) November 29, 2024
Lee’s tone suggests the injury may be more serious than anticipated. On the injury report, Ball is listed out due to a left calf strain. The play which Lee is referring to is during the final seconds of Charlotte’s 98-94 loss to Miami. Ball attempted to gain separation during the inbound play when his left leg seemingly gave up on him. He immediately began limping.
So this is the final play where LaMelo got hurt. He puts his left foot down as he starts to accelerate up court and it gives out, causing him to trip up.
Do we think this is longer than a game absence and a rest of the B2B? I can’t tell.
Is there another angle of this? pic.twitter.com/ScZAXlpyha
— the Ginga (@SirGingaa) November 29, 2024
The unknown timetable severely impacts the Hornets and their standing in the Eastern Conference. At this moment, they are the 12th seed and are just one game back from a spot in the Play-In Tournament and three games from a top-six seed.
However, the Hornets’ point differential with LaMelo off the court is -15.8. With the star guard on the court, the team still holds a negative net rating, but it’s only -1.2, which is an extremely big difference.
Ball joins five other Hornets players on the injury report for their upcoming game against the Knicks. Miles Bridges (right knee), Tre Mann (lower back), Nick Richards (ribs), Grant Williams (ACL), and Mark Williams (left foot) are all sidelined due to injuries.
The Hornets will have an uphill battle in their matchup against the Knicks. The two teams are set to face off at the Spectrum Center
