Charlotte Hornets star guard LaMelo Ball suffered a freak injury in Monday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Ball was forced to go back to the locker room after colliding with Hornets head coach Charles Lee in the first quarter. The team announced that he suffered a laceration above his eye and will be available to return to the game.
Ball has struggled to stay on the court in recent years, appearing in less than 50 games in each of the last three seasons due to various injuries. He’s played in 41 out of Charlotte’s 51 games this season including Monday’s matchup against New Orleans, and he entered the day averaging 19.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.6 assists. It’s his lowest scoring average since his rookie season in 2020-21.
Ball was rumored to be a trade candidate ahead of Thursday’s deadline, but Sam Amick of The Athletic reported last month that the Hornets are still hopeful they can make it work with him moving forward, “if only because it makes little sense to trade him now.”
Charlotte (22-28) has a young core that appears to finally be putting it all together, riding a six-game win streak into Monday’s game.
There’s still time between now and the trade deadline for teams to try to convince the Hornets to let Ball go, but it sounds like he’s more likely to stay put. Charlotte will be glad that his latest injury doesn’t appear to be a long-term issue as the team tries to keep its momentum going in the competitive Eastern Conference.
