CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With news of a right ankle fracture, another ankle injury has struck LaMelo Ball, his fourth of the season and likely the end of his season. It leaves Hornets fans wondering what’s next for their star player and the team, but on a Tuesday edition of the Locked On Hornets podcast, hosts Walker Mehl and Doug Branson explained why it’s not too concerning long-term.
No official news is out regarding Ball’s prognosis, but it’s expected he will miss the remainder of the season with just 19 games left on Charlotte’s schedule. That gives Ball time to recover from these serial ankle issues on both sides of his body and ideally put these injuries behind him.
“That’s something you can take … a little bit of comfort in is it’s not an Achilles, that it’s not something where people are going to go, ‘wow, is he going to be the same player when he comes back?’” Branson said.
Whether it be Ball’s Puma shoes, which he is one of the only NBA players to wear, something about his wily style of play, or just bad luck, the injuries are piling up. Entering contract extension negotiations this summer and with the Hornets looking to get back to winning basketball, these ankle problems will be subject to more scrutiny.
“You’re injury-prone until you’re not. Some players are injury-prone early on and then they go on to have lengthy careers without any injuries,” Branson added. “It’s just all kinds of situations.”
Add in a wrist injury that plagued him last year and it’s easy to be worried, but when Ball has been able to take the court, he has still been impactful.
“What’s great is that LaMelo’s shooting numbers haven’t suffered from (the wrist injury) long-term,” Mehl said. “That is helpful even if it makes him uncomfortable. You would think flicking the wrist passing, flicking the wrist shooting, those would (still) be the most impactful parts of his game.”
An update is expected from the Hornets this week.