LaMelo Ball's season is over, the Charlotte Hornets announced Thursday. The 22-year-old guard hasn't played since Jan. 26 and has been listed as out with right ankle tendinopathy. With less than three weeks remaining in the regular season, Ball will continue to rehab the injury.
Ball initially injured his ankle on Nov. 26 in Orlando. He missed the next 20 games, then returned to play seven games and has been sidelined since. He will finish the season with averages of 23.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.8 steals in 32.2 minutes; combined with a true shooting percentage of 56.1% and a usage rate of 31.5%, these numbers represent the best production of his career, but they come with an asterisk: He appeared in only 22 games.
This is Ball's second straight season cut short by ankle issues. He played in 36 games in 2022-23 as a result of three separate ankle injuries, including a broken right ankle that required season-ending surgery. The Hornets went 27-55 that season and 18-54 this season.
In Ball's 711 minutes in 2023-24, he showed he was a better player than he was when he made the All-Star team in 2022 and won Rookie of The Year in 2021. He's improved as a pick-and-roll player, an inside-the-arc scorer and a foul-drawer. This went under the radar, though, because he could not stay on the floor.
If there is a silver lining to this story, it's that, should Ball find a way to solve his ankle problems (like, say, Stephen Curry did), Charlotte could improve quickly. His injuries last season put the franchise in position to draft Brandon Miller with the No. 2 pick, and his injuries this season put Miller in position to stretch his offensive game. Miller, 21, has averaged 17 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists as a rookie and has shown serious star potential. In June, the Hornets' new front office, led by Jeff Peterson, will be able to add to their core with another high draft pick.
It is unfortunate, though, that Ball has shared the court with Miller for only 361 total minutes in 19 games. And it is doubly unfortunate that, in two seasons together, Ball has shared the court with center Mark Williams for only 603 minutes in 40 games. Williams, the rim protector selected No. 15 in the 2022 draft, has been sidelined since Dec. 8 with a back injury.
The Hornets' 118-111 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday ended a five-game losing streak, which included a 41-point loss in Atlanta. With 10 games remaining on the schedule, Charlotte is fourth from the bottom in the NBA standings.
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