Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing arthroscopic surgeries on his right ankle and right wrist. Ball is expected to return to full basketball activity in the next five to six weeks and make a full recovery, the team said.
Ball, 23, has missed time this season due to the ankle injury and has been hampered by lower-body injuries through the first five years of his career. He last played on March 25 and now will miss Charlotte’s final seven games of the regular season.
Looking past this season, Ball’s constant injury issues are concerning for a Charlotte team that views him as its franchise centerpiece. He’s only played 60-plus games once in his career, which was in his sophomore season when he was named an All-Star. Since then, he’s averaged 35 games a season over the last three years, a sobering reality for the Hornets. He played in 47 games this season and averaged 25.2 points and 7.4 assists per game while shooting a career-low 40.5% from the field and 33.9% from 3-point range.
Injuries to Ball and other Hornets players completely derailed any hope of success this season in Charlotte. Brandon Miller quickly had a season-ending injury early, Grant Williams was also ruled out for the season, and Tre Mann, who appeared to be taking quite the leap in his fourth year, was also ruled out.
Injuries have been the overarching storyline for a Hornets team that hasn’t been able to get out of the basement of the league for the better part of the last decade. The one silver lining on the horizon is that the Hornets will have a strong chance at landing Duke freshman phenom Cooper Flagg if they land the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery. Getting Flagg would be a franchise-altering move for the Hornets and would instantly brighten this team’s future outlook. A trio of Flagg, Ball and Miller would be enticing, in addition to the promising depth the Hornets have to surround them with.
But this all hinges on landing Flagg and Ball’s health. He’s among the most polarizing players in the league, as many view him as an empty stats scorer with little impact on winning. There may be a bit of truth in there, but there’s no denying Ball’s elite ability to score in various ways. He’s one of the most exciting players to watch and was on the verge of making his second All-Star appearance after leading all East guards in fan voting. Ball missed the cut for the roster, and things just went downhill from there for him and the Hornets, who have mustered up an 19-56 record, good for third-worst in the league.
This season may have already been lost prior to Ball’s surgery news, but at least now the Hornets can focus on preparing for the draft and getting guys healthy for next season.
Looking for more NBA insight from CBS Sports? Bill Reiter, John Gonzalez and more experts break down the league daily on the Beyond the Arc podcast.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Austin Cindric breaks down EMOTIONAL win at Talladega w/ Kevin Harvick: ‘The pressure is on now!’
KEVIN HARVICKS HAPPY HOUR Trending MLB NFL UFL NTT INDYCAR SERIES NASCAR LIV NBA PGA NCAABK NCAAFB
Andrej Stojakovic announces transfer to Illinois after playing last season for Cal
After playing the first two years of his college basketball career in the state of California, Andrej Stojakovic is taking his game to the Midwest.Stojakovic, the son of former NBA star Peja Stojakovic, announced on social media that he's transferring to Illinois. He'll have two years of eligibility with the Fighting Illini.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe 6-foot-5 guard will play for his third school in three seasons. Stojakovic played last season with California, for whom he averaged 17.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He shot 32% on 129 3-point attempts. In 2023-24, he played for Stanford, averaging 7.8 points per game as a freshman.Returning to Stanford was under consideration for Stojakovic, who was also looking at North Carolina as a possible destination. At Illinois, he'll become the team's leading scorer, based on last season's numbers. Freshman Kasparas Jakucionis led the Illini last season […]
Cicinho indica clube com status de “bucha” no Brasileirão: “Vai lutar para não cair”
Cicinho, comentarista do Jogo Aberto (Reprodução) Cicinho, após o desligamento de Fábio Carille, não ficou surpreso com a decisão do Vasco. Inicialmente, o ex-jogador sinalizou que o discurso atrelado ao nível do elenco cruz-maltino trouxe um impacto negativo para o trabalho. Agora, levando em conta o plantel “limitadíssimo”, houve um alerta sobre a luta contra o rebaixamento no Brasileirão que o próximo técnico vai encarar à frente do time carioca. “Novidade não é. O Vasco não tem um elenco competitivo como o presidente Pedrinho acha. O Carille abraçou essa bronca e aí sobra sempre para o treinador.”, disse Cicinho, no Jogo Aberto. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE “O Vasco é um time limitadíssimo. Vai lutar até o final da competição para não cair. Vai ganhar um jogo, perder dois, empatar outro… a sequência é essa aí. Vamos ver qual treinador o Pedrinho vai […]
Barinka po konci ve Vítkovicích posílí extraligového konkurenta
Barinka se letos svezl s mdlým výkonem Vítkovic, které zachránil až lednový příchod trenéra Václava Varadi. Zatímco loni se po příchodu z německého Iserlohnu rychle zařadil mezi stěžejní postavy moravského celku, letos zaznamenal ve 49 vystoupeních jen 18 bodů (8+10). Loni jich přitom stihl 21, přičemž odehrál o jedenáct utkání méně.I tak na něj Vítkovice uplatnily po sezoně opci, přesto se obě strany po vzájemné dohodě rozešly. V Kladně dostane Barinka pravděpodobně stěžejní roli. Rytíře totiž opouští jiný centr Matyáš Filip, jenž by podle informací Sport.cz měl obléknout dres Plzně.Foto: Profimedia.czMarcel Barinka rozšíří od příští sezony kladenský útok„Po jeho odchodu jsme hledali kreativního mladého centra a jsme rádi, že jsme se domluvili s Marcelem. Vidíme v něm velký potenciál k dalšímu růstu,“ uvedl na Barinkovu adresu sportovní manažer Kladna Jiří Burger.Na Kladně před pěti lety jednu sezonu působil také Marcelův nevlastní otec Michal Barinka. Ani zkušený obránce však nezabránil tehdy […]
Maple Leafs’ John Tavares on Artem Zub hit, missing OT power play: ‘Puck’s nowhere near me’
TORONTO — John Tavares says the NHL’s concussion spotter pulled him from overtime on Saturday night with the Toronto Maple Leafs one shot away from eliminating the Ottawa Senators.Tavares stayed down on the ice for a few seconds after taking an unpenalized hit to the head from Ottawa’s Artem Zub on his first shift of the extra period — triggering his mandatory removal from the game under NHL rules. alright, standard set pic.twitter.com/xRKrSqtnHA — Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 27, 2025Tavares wound up missing more than 10 minutes of game time, including the entirety of a four-minute Maple Leafs power play, and was completely unaware of what was happening on the ice at Canadian Tire Centre while receiving a complete SCAT5 evaluation in a back room.“I had no idea that there was a power play,” Tavares said Monday. “I was obviously pulled […]
Maple Leafs’ John Tavares on Artem Zub hit, missing OT power play: ‘Puck’s nowhere near me’
TORONTO — John Tavares says the NHL’s concussion spotter pulled him from overtime on Saturday night with the Toronto Maple Leafs one shot away from eliminating the Ottawa Senators.Tavares stayed down on the ice for a few seconds after taking an unpenalized hit to the head from Ottawa’s Artem Zub on his first shift of the extra period — triggering his mandatory removal from the game under NHL rules. alright, standard set pic.twitter.com/xRKrSqtnHA — Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 27, 2025Tavares wound up missing more than 10 minutes of game time, including the entirety of a four-minute Maple Leafs power play, and was completely unaware of what was happening on the ice at Canadian Tire Centre while receiving a complete SCAT5 evaluation in a back room.“I had no idea that there was a power play,” Tavares said Monday. “I was obviously pulled […]
Related
Austin Cindric breaks down EMOTIONAL win at Talladega w/ Kevin Harvick: ‘The pressure is on now!’
KEVIN HARVICKS HAPPY HOUR Trending MLB NFL UFL NTT INDYCAR SERIES NASCAR LIV NBA PGA NCAABK NCAAFB
Andrej Stojakovic announces transfer to Illinois after playing last season for Cal
After playing the first two years of his college basketball career in the state of California, Andrej Stojakovic is taking his game to the Midwest.Stojakovic, the son of former NBA star Peja Stojakovic, announced on social media that he's transferring to Illinois. He'll have two years of eligibility with the Fighting Illini.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe 6-foot-5 guard will play for his third school in three seasons. Stojakovic played last season with California, for whom he averaged 17.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He shot 32% on 129 3-point attempts. In 2023-24, he played for Stanford, averaging 7.8 points per game as a freshman.Returning to Stanford was under consideration for Stojakovic, who was also looking at North Carolina as a possible destination. At Illinois, he'll become the team's leading scorer, based on last season's numbers. Freshman Kasparas Jakucionis led the Illini last season […]
Cicinho indica clube com status de “bucha” no Brasileirão: “Vai lutar para não cair”
Cicinho, comentarista do Jogo Aberto (Reprodução) Cicinho, após o desligamento de Fábio Carille, não ficou surpreso com a decisão do Vasco. Inicialmente, o ex-jogador sinalizou que o discurso atrelado ao nível do elenco cruz-maltino trouxe um impacto negativo para o trabalho. Agora, levando em conta o plantel “limitadíssimo”, houve um alerta sobre a luta contra o rebaixamento no Brasileirão que o próximo técnico vai encarar à frente do time carioca. “Novidade não é. O Vasco não tem um elenco competitivo como o presidente Pedrinho acha. O Carille abraçou essa bronca e aí sobra sempre para o treinador.”, disse Cicinho, no Jogo Aberto. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE “O Vasco é um time limitadíssimo. Vai lutar até o final da competição para não cair. Vai ganhar um jogo, perder dois, empatar outro… a sequência é essa aí. Vamos ver qual treinador o Pedrinho vai […]
Barinka po konci ve Vítkovicích posílí extraligového konkurenta
Barinka se letos svezl s mdlým výkonem Vítkovic, které zachránil až lednový příchod trenéra Václava Varadi. Zatímco loni se po příchodu z německého Iserlohnu rychle zařadil mezi stěžejní postavy moravského celku, letos zaznamenal ve 49 vystoupeních jen 18 bodů (8+10). Loni jich přitom stihl 21, přičemž odehrál o jedenáct utkání méně.I tak na něj Vítkovice uplatnily po sezoně opci, přesto se obě strany po vzájemné dohodě rozešly. V Kladně dostane Barinka pravděpodobně stěžejní roli. Rytíře totiž opouští jiný centr Matyáš Filip, jenž by podle informací Sport.cz měl obléknout dres Plzně.Foto: Profimedia.czMarcel Barinka rozšíří od příští sezony kladenský útok„Po jeho odchodu jsme hledali kreativního mladého centra a jsme rádi, že jsme se domluvili s Marcelem. Vidíme v něm velký potenciál k dalšímu růstu,“ uvedl na Barinkovu adresu sportovní manažer Kladna Jiří Burger.Na Kladně před pěti lety jednu sezonu působil také Marcelův nevlastní otec Michal Barinka. Ani zkušený obránce však nezabránil tehdy […]
Maple Leafs’ John Tavares on Artem Zub hit, missing OT power play: ‘Puck’s nowhere near me’
TORONTO — John Tavares says the NHL’s concussion spotter pulled him from overtime on Saturday night with the Toronto Maple Leafs one shot away from eliminating the Ottawa Senators.Tavares stayed down on the ice for a few seconds after taking an unpenalized hit to the head from Ottawa’s Artem Zub on his first shift of the extra period — triggering his mandatory removal from the game under NHL rules. alright, standard set pic.twitter.com/xRKrSqtnHA — Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 27, 2025Tavares wound up missing more than 10 minutes of game time, including the entirety of a four-minute Maple Leafs power play, and was completely unaware of what was happening on the ice at Canadian Tire Centre while receiving a complete SCAT5 evaluation in a back room.“I had no idea that there was a power play,” Tavares said Monday. “I was obviously pulled […]
Maple Leafs’ John Tavares on Artem Zub hit, missing OT power play: ‘Puck’s nowhere near me’
TORONTO — John Tavares says the NHL’s concussion spotter pulled him from overtime on Saturday night with the Toronto Maple Leafs one shot away from eliminating the Ottawa Senators.Tavares stayed down on the ice for a few seconds after taking an unpenalized hit to the head from Ottawa’s Artem Zub on his first shift of the extra period — triggering his mandatory removal from the game under NHL rules. alright, standard set pic.twitter.com/xRKrSqtnHA — Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 27, 2025Tavares wound up missing more than 10 minutes of game time, including the entirety of a four-minute Maple Leafs power play, and was completely unaware of what was happening on the ice at Canadian Tire Centre while receiving a complete SCAT5 evaluation in a back room.“I had no idea that there was a power play,” Tavares said Monday. “I was obviously pulled […]
Be the first to leave a comment