A season that has been a disappointment in Charlotte just got worse.
LaMelo Ball fractured his ankle during the third quarter against the Pistons Monday on a non-contact play.
LaMelo left the game after suffering a non-contact injury on this play pic.twitter.com/SdWDNIRSfK
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 28, 2023
Ball left the game after that, and the team announced the injury at the end of the game.
OFFICIAL: LaMelo Ball suffered a fracture in his right ankle in tonight’s home game vs. Detroit.
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) February 28, 2023
Presented by @novanthealth
There are no details on what kind of ankle fracture this is, but LaMelo is undoubtedly done for the season. Considering the Hornets have the fourth worst record in the NBA this is not a short-term issue for them — if they remain fourth worst they have a 24.7% chance of landing a top-two pick.
The hope for the Hornets is that this will not linger over the offseason and into next training camp and season. If the injury is what Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes suggests, it may not be that serious.
Re: LaMelo Ball: Given the video and the fact that it was a non-contact injury, I'm curious if this is an avulsion fracture where a ligament or tendon pulls away a piece of the bone.
— Jeff Stotts (@InStreetClothes) February 28, 2023
Ball has missed considerable time this season (26 games, primarily due to ankle issues) and is averaging 23.4 points per game, with 8.5 assists and 6.4 boards while shooting 36.7% from 3.
