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LaMelo Ball discusses the impact of losing Brandon Miller to injury

LaMelo Ball understands the pain and frustration of injuries all too well.
Austin Leake|
Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

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Charlotte Hornets

If there's one thing that LaMelo Ball can relate to, it's been the overall frustration and pain of having to deal with unfortunate injuries. His teammate Brandon Miller will now have to endure the same type of frustration, as he suffered a wrist injury that could potentially keep him out for the remainder of the season.

It's been a very frustrating year for the Hornets, as they've had their "core four" miss big chunks of games this season, which has led to the Hornets' current 10-28 record. The Hornets were the healthiest they had been in quite some time, but once again, it didn't last.

Miller obviously has to be frustrated with the timeliness of this potential injury, but if there's one thing that may keep him in better spirits, it's knowing he has the support and love from his teammates.

It's not hard to see that Ball is hurt by the injury as well, as both he and Miller have a close relationship on and off the floor together. This will be more of a leadership role for Ball since he can relate to Miller due to the fact he suffered a somewhat similar injury in his rookie season when he broke his wrist on a hard fall.

Losing Miller is obviously tough for the Hornets, as they seemingly were starting to figure it out with a healthier squad. The Hornets have won three out of their last four games with their one loss coming to the Phoenix Suns where they could've arguably won if they closed the game better.

Miller is one of the Hornets' best pieces on the team and is a huge part of the team's future moving forward. It's crucial to have teammates like Ball be there for him and keep him in a positive headspace when suffering a brutal injury.

If this becomes the end of Miller's sophomore campaign, then it was a really impressive year for him. He only played in 27 games, but he recorded career-highs in points, rebounds, and assists. His scoring jump from 17.3 to 21.0 is something that can't go unnoticed.

Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

You could make the argument that his efficiency could've been better, but he also was asked to be the main guy for the majority of these games due to the injuries to the Hornets' core, which left him as the sole player to score the basketball.

It's been a rough time for the Charlotte Hornets franchise over the years with all of the setbacks the team has suffered with injuries and that certainly continued into this season. Someday the Hornets' bad luck and unfortunate setbacks will have to turn around, right?

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Austin Leake
AUSTIN LEAKE

Austin Leake is a graduate of High Point University, where he majored in sports media, minored in social media marketing, and continued his education in the CBL Master's Program. Austin has covered the Hornets since 2017 and joined the Charlotte Hornets On SI in June of 2022. His coverage primarily features game previews and recaps, monthly mailbags, and more.

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