Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball will be out for at least two weeks due to a strained left calf.
Ball felt pain in his calf after the Hornets’ loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday and missed the game against the New York Knicks on Friday. The team said he will be reevaluated on December 11, which is two weeks after the injury happened.
Ball has been performing well for the Hornets, averaging 40.3 points in his last four games.
For the season, he is averaging a career-high 31.1 points and 4.7 three-pointers per game, which is second in the NBA. He also averages 5.4 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 1.1 steals in 18 games started.
Ball has struggled with injuries, especially to his ankles, since entering the NBA as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 draft.
As the only player in Hornets history to receive a max contract extension, Ball has played in just 202 games with 182 starts in five seasons.
The Hornets also announced that guard Tre Mann has been diagnosed with disk irritation in his lower back. He has been absent from the lineup since November 23, when the team played Milwaukee. Mann will continue with his rehabilitation and will be reevaluated in two weeks.
“They are competitors and they want to be out there on the court to compete and hoop, but they also want to be out there for their teammates,” said Hornets coach Charles Lee before the game against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
“I just walked past ’Melo as I was coming in here to do media, and he’s like, ‘I’m going to take care of everything I need to do on this return to play program and I’m going to attack it with the right mindset.’ I have all the confidence in the world in our performance staff and in those guys.”
