The Charlotte Hornets are set to take on the New York Knicks on Friday. Unfortunately for Charlotte, they will be shorthanded. They’ve reported that seven players on their active roster will miss the action due to injury, including All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball.
Ball and his crew are in a three-game losing slump and could face a significant challenge against the fourth-placed Knicks. On Wednesday’s 98 – 94 loss against the Miami Heat, the one-time All-Star suffered a calf injury at the end of the game.
The Hornets will play without eight players against the Knicks on Friday. Other players who will miss the game, aside from Ball, are Miles Bridges (right knee), DaQuan Jeffries (right hand), Tre Mann (lower back), Nick Richards (right rib), Grant Williams (right ACL), and Mark Williams (left foot).
Third-year guard Jared Rhoden has been assigned to the team’s G-League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm.
LaMelo Ball sustained the injury during the closing moments of last night's loss to the Miami Heat. He will continue to be evaluated and updates on his status will be provided as appropriate.
Injury report grows once more… 😔 pic.twitter.com/Bhvr8cDkIR
— /r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) November 28, 2024
With the injuries to the team, Charlotte will miss five out of their top six scorers.
Hornets star gets huge compliment from former NBA stars
Hornets guard LaMelo Ball is having one of the best seasons of his career this season. In 18 games this season, the 6-foot-7 star is averaging 31.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists. With the way he’s played, former NBA stars Brandon Jennings and Gilbert Arenas thinks he’s the best point guard in the league.
“To me, he’s the best point guard right now in the NBA,” Jennings started. “This is what I wanted to see from him. When he’s healthy, when he can play. Right now, he’s just exciting and he’s making the case.”
Arenas backed up his co-host’s take and explained how great he is as a player.
“Today’s guard is, they’re different, They’re built different, they think different,” Arenas said. “His ability is what you look for in a point guard. The fact that he can put up really big numbers but he’s really a pass-first guard.”
“If you put better players around him, he’s gonna make plays for them. If his team is weak, he’ll score. He’s one of those hybrids that can go back and forth. He’s not just strictly a scorer. He has a passing-mind.”
LaMelo Ball is the best guard in the NBA right now 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/1eaoikFH5g
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) November 27, 2024
In Charlotte’s last five games, Ball has averaged 34.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 7.6 assists. This includes his 50-point performance against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday and his 44-point outing on Monday against the Orlando Magic.
For more sports content:
Follow me on X at @BarbecueBro, and follow us at @HardwoodHeroics and @GridironHeroics. You can also reach out to Reign Amurao via email at [email protected]. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
