LaMelo Ball has been stellar this season, but he might be missing some time with an injury.
Unfortunate timing of injuries can halt all momentum a player has created for themselves. Ball could find himself in that situation early in the season.
Ball has been a superstar for the Charlotte Hornets. There is no other way to explain how good his production has been this season.
However, the Hornets just have a 6-12 record, pending a result against the New York Knicks in the NBA Cup. They’ve got to be better as a team, though Ball being healthy could be crucial to their potential success.
While the NBA got the day off for Thanksgiving, the Hornets are playing in an early morning contest against the Knicks for an NBA Cup group play matchup. Ball missed the game with “left calf soreness.”
How did the injury come about? Hornets head coach Charles Lee offered some insight and detail as to how it happened and how evaluations are going.
“…Trying to get open on that last play of the game, he just felt a little something,” Lee explained.
“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.”
Lee put it quite simply, it is an unfortunate situation, to get injured on the final play of the game. He’s been superb in his games played this season, and he was on pace to be an All-Star once again.
It’s terrible for Ball to be sidelined, but it’s important that he not only has a speedy return but that he returns to form when he’s back on the hardwood.
After quite a strong rookie season in 2020, Ball spent the next three seasons being a 20-plus points per game scorer. This season, he’s taking another leap, however.
In 18 games played, Ball is averaging 31.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game for Charlotte. He’s doing so in 34.1 minutes played per game, shooting 43% from the floor and 36% on 3-pointers.
Increased shooting volume and getting to the free throw line at a more efficient rate are the reasons behind Ball’s uptick in production. He and Brandon Miller are emerging as rebuild building block pieces for the club, and they can build around the duo.
Still, Charlotte has been bad historically, and the poor franchise needs to turn a corner as decision-makers to return to the postseason and provide the two aforementioned players with enough talent to build not only a winning culture but to find consistent results.
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