Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball strained his left calf on Wednesday, and he’ll be reevaluated two weeks after the injury occurred, the team announced Saturday. Ball missed the Hornets’ 99-98 loss against the New York Knicks on Friday, his first absence of the season.
This injury means the Hornets will be without the NBA’s second-leading scorer — Ball is averaging 31.1 points per game — for more than a handful of games. It happened during the final seconds of their 98-94 loss against the Miami Heat.
Ball’s usage rate (38.5%) also ranks second in the league. Naturally, Charlotte’s offense will look extremely different without him and without reserve guard Tre Mann, whose 25% usage rate ranks third on the team. Mann has missed the Hornets’ last four games with lower back soreness/inflammation, and the team announced Saturday that he’s dealing with disc irritation and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Even though Ball has put up huge numbers at a relatively efficient rate, Charlotte’s offense ranks No. 26 in the NBA. The Hornets have scored at a league-average rate with him on the court, but they’ve scored less efficiently than the league-worst Washington Wizards with him off the court, according to Cleaning The Glass, which eliminates heaves and garbage time.
If there is one silver lining here, it’s that second-year wing Brandon Miller has an opportunity to assume more playmaking responsibility. He took on a much bigger load than anticipated as a rookie because Ball only appeared in 22 games last season, and he has scored at least 20 points in each of Charlotte’s last six games, including a career-high 38 in an overtime win against the Detroit Pistons on Nov. 21. Miller hasn’t been particularly efficient in his last few games, but, if the 22-year-old is going to develop into a star, he needs reps with the ball in his hands.
Another Hornet who may have the ball in his hands a lot more: rookie KJ Simpson, who received extended minutes for the first time against New York and finished with 11 points, two assists, two steals and one massive dunk. Simpson is a 6-foot guard who plays bigger than his height; Charlotte drafted him with the No. 42 pick this past June, and, if Friday’s rotation is any indication, he will back up Vasilije Micic while Ball and Mann are out.
The Hornets are 6-13 on the season and 0-3 in the NBA Cup. They will host the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday and the Philadelphia 76ers (in their final NBA Cup game) on Tuesday.
