LaMelo Ball ‘closer’ to return from injuries. How long until he rejoins Hornets’ lineup?
.JPG "Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball warms up before the start of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)")
More than a few eyebrows were raised in the hours leading up to the Charlotte Hornets’ third stop on their winding road trip, curious upon the injury designation attached to the team’s star.
When LaMelo Ball was listed as questionable due to his ankle and wrist soreness, it represented a step up after he sat out Saturday night’s win in Atlanta, signaling potential progression with his ailments.
Considering last Wednesday’s deflating scene in Houston of Ball unable to put any weight on his left foot, just knowing the Hornets’ energetic point guard may give it a go against Utah on Monday night surely lifted a few spirits. Especially when paired with the thoughts Ball shared with The Charlotte Observer before the team left Georgia and hopped on a four-plus hour flight to head west.
But roughly an hour prior to tipoff against the Jazz, word trickled out the Hornets wouldn’t have Ball’s services and he was instead bound for the inactive list again. So he sat on the bench in street clothes during the Hornets’ 120-102 loss to Utah at Vivint Arena, powerless to do anything to help a futile effort.
“I think (he’s) closer,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “He was able to do a good majority of shootaround (Monday) morning. I think he feels a lot better, both his ankle and his wrist. I don’t know when, but I don’t think he’s too far away.”
If the Hornets were smart, they would hide Ball’s uniform somewhere in the truckload of equipment that accompanies them on lengthy road excursions. Do whatever they can to keep him from playing should he even consider suiting up.
And no, it has nothing to do with the “T” word. That’s “tank” for those scoring at home or wondering why tweets about the Hornets’ struggles are often have replies of pictures and videos featuring the well-known military vehicle.
The Hornets’ season is already barbecued, with the only true drama remaining surrounding whether GM Mitch Kupchak will be active in moving players before the Feb. 9 trade deadline and the team’s precise odds to snare the first pick in the NBA’s draft lottery in May. Having Ball play at anything less than 100% makes zero sense for everyone and ensuring he’s a spectator until he’s fully healed should be the Hornets’ main priority.
The team must do whatever it can to preserve Ball and shield the franchise player from anything that could jeopardize his long-term health. The Hornets can’t afford to gamble with the future and leave it all completely in the 21-year-old’s unique hands because his competitive nature will surely kick in.
“Yeah, that’s the tough balance that you’ve got to play as an athlete because you want to be out on the court and the team needs you,” said Gordon Hayward, no stranger to injuries himself. “But you don’t want to re-injure anything. He’s got a long career ahead of him and certainly his career is first and foremost. I know that he’s doing everything he can to get himself right. But it certainly is a tough balancing act.”
Ball’s popularity is off the charts, as evidenced by his jersey checking in at No. 12 among the NBA’s best sellers this season. Teal uniform tops featuring the No. 1 with Ball’s name emblazoned on the back dot the stands on every stop the Hornets make, with Salt Lake City no exception.
Even in visiting arenas far from the friendly confines of Charlotte, Ball constantly hears high-pitched shrieks from kids begging for the slightest bit of acknowledgment. He’s like a rock star with a basketball, a special talent the Hornets have to keep mining properly to strike gold.
Ball’s impact on the floor is undeniable.
Offensively, he’s their engine and the 6.8 more points per 100 possessions the Hornets net with Ball running the show are tops on the team. They just weren’t the same against the Jazz without him.
He’s the lone player in the league this season averaging at least 23 points, eight assists and connecting on four 3-pointers per game. In fact, the only other person to post those numbers in a full season is Portland’s Damian Lillard, who accomplished it in 2019-20.
Don’t think the Hornets missed his range from deep against Utah? They drained only 2 of 16 attempts beyond the 3-point line, with Terry Rozier knocking down both. Since returning on Dec. 14 from his second stint on the injury list, Ball has canned 78 shots from 3-point range, which ranks as the best mark in the league.
In all actuality, though, here’s the number that should matter most: zero. As in the amount of pain Ball experiences in either the left ankle he’s sprained three times in four months or his surgically repaired right wrist prior to his reinsertion into the Hornets’ lineup.
Risking any lingering effects until then makes no sense whatsoever because having Ball completely healthy is of the utmost importance for the Hornets. It’s indisputable.
“Absolutely,” Clifford said. “Now that we have Gordon back, it would be great to get him back, Cody (Martin) back so that we would be looking more at the type of lineup that we hoped to have when we started training camp. So, again I think Melo’s close, but I think Cody’s close at getting there also.”
This story was originally published January 24, 2023 at 4:30 AM.
