The white flag(g) has seemingly been waived on the Charlotte Hornets’ season as LaMelo Ball will be shut down for the remainder of the season due to ankle and wrist issues, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Charania followed up his initial tweet with a statement- “Team doctors and outside specialists concluded that the two procedures will allow Ball to heal and have a full offseason. The decision ends Ball’s career year in scoring. He is the first player in Hornets history to average 25 points and 7 assists in a season, per ESPN research.”
LaMelo Ball was limited to just 47 games this season after playing 22 games last year and 36 games in the 2022-23 season. Across the 47 games he did play, Ball averaged a career-high 25.3 points, 7.4 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game. While he does not officially qualify due to his lack of games, the 11.2 three-point attempts per game he launched were the most in the NBA. The 23-year-old struggled with his efficiency on these attempts shooting a career-low 33.9% from beyond the arc.
Charlotte holds a record of 18-54 with 10 games remaining in the regular season. They currently hold the third-worst record in the NBA which gives them a 14.0% chance at the number one overall pick and a 52.1% chance of it landing in the top four. The race to the bottom has been competitive this season with teams like the Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets, and Philadelphia 76ers doing everything possible to have a chance at landing a franchise-altering talent in what is regarded as a very strong draft class.
With Ball banged up on the season it makes sense to prioritize his long-term outlook and give him a head start on returning to 100%. This is especially the case with last year’s second overall pick Brandon Miller already shut down for the season due to a torn ligament in his worst. Ball is in the first season of his five-year $203.8 million extension and the clock is beginning to tick on how to put a contender around his unique skillset. This will be a telling offseason for the franchise and all eyes of the NBA world will be on the May 12th lottery.
