LaMelo Ball wasn’t at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday night, accompanying the Charlotte Hornets on their mini one-game road trip to Indianapolis.
Instead, the star guard is on the mend in New York following a pair of surgeries.
Ball had separate successful procedures done at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan to address issues with his right ankle and right wrist, the team announced before its matchup with the Indiana Pacers.
By taking care of things now rather than waiting for the Hornets’ season to end in Boston on April 12, the hope is for Ball to get an earlier jump on his rehabilitation plan, putting him on track to be ready for when training camp rolls around in the fall.
The Hornets say the fifth-year pro is expected to have a full workload in the offseason and should be able to resume complete basketball activity within four to six weeks — a timetable that should coincide with the team bringing in prospective players during the predraft process.
Injuries have plagued Ball since the Hornets selected him third overall in the 2020 NBA Draft and questions about his durability could lead to trade rumors swirling this summer, especially in the wake of Luka Doncic getting sent to the Los Angeles Lakers in a move that sent shock waves around the league.
Ball’s maximum rookie contract extension, which will earn him just under $38 million in 2025-26, still has another four years and more than $160 million left on it. With just 231 career games on his resume in parts of five seasons, his injury history could make it difficult for the Hornets to get equal value in return if they wanted to move him.
He posted 25.2 points and 7.4 assists per game, both team bests, and also averaged 4.9 rebounds in his 47 outings. He also led the NBA in fourth-quarter points (7.8), ranked fourth in field goals (2.6), second in assists (2.1) and in 3-pointers (1.1). His impact is unquestioned, with the Hornets’ net rating improving by 8.7 points while he’s on the court.
But he’s going to have to find a way to stay off the injured list if the Hornets intend on breaking the NBA’s longest current playoff drought, which has swelled to nine years. His absence provides rookie KJ Simpson with an opportunity to foster his development heading into the offseason and likely appearances with the summer league team in July.
The Charlotte Observer
Roderick Boone joined the Observer in September 2021 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and NBA. In his more than two decades of writing about the world of sports, he’s chronicled everything from high school rodeo to a major league baseball no-hitter to the Super Bowl to the Finals. The Long Island native has deep North Carolina roots and enjoys watching “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” endlessly.