Charlotte Hornets will again start LaMelo Ball, but there’s a new twist versus Jazz
Charlotte Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball will make his third consecutive start Friday vs. the Utah Jazz.
Hornets coach James Borrego chose to go with a three-guard lineup, with Ball, Devonte Graham and Terry Rozier all starting. That meant Gordon Hayward would shift from small forward to power forward and Miles Bridges would return to a sixth-man role.
Forward-center P.J. Washington is still out with a sprained right foot.
Rozier missed the past two games with a sprained right ankle. Asked Friday morning if he’d be bothered if he came off the bench, Rozier said, “I’ll be OK with anything,”
In his first two starts, Ball, the third overall pick, averaged 18 points, five assists, six rebounds and 4.5 turnovers.
Rozier started all 20 Hornets games prior to the injury. He’s the team’s second-leading scorer at 18.6 points per game, behind Gordon Hayward’s 22.9.
“I feel like my ankle needed to fully heal,” Rozier said of missing two games. “As much of a competitor as I am, you still want to take it slow (with an injury) and make sure you’re confident with everything.”
Rozier has been adaptive to whatever Borrego needs since joining the Hornets in the summer of 2019. Expected to be Kemba Walker’s replacement at point guard, he switched over to primarily shooting guard about 10 games into last season to facilitate moving Devonte Graham into the starting lineup.
This story was originally published February 5, 2021 at 11:36 AM.
