Hornets head coach Charles Lee gives critical injury update on LaMelo Ball

LaMelo Ball has not lived up to the expectations that the Charlotte Hornets had for him entering this season. Injuries have piled up on Ball again, as he has already missed eight games in 2025.

When Ball has been on the court, his numbers have plummeted to the lowest they have been since his rookie season. His advanced stats have been equally poor this year.

Ball missed the last game against the Nuggets because of an ankle injury that was labeled ankle soreness. Charless Lee gave an update on Ball's progress in returning from that injury.

Hornets coach Charles Lee gives injury update on Lamelo Ball fans might not love

Lee didn't really give a definitive timetable on when he will be back.

"Our performance staff is continuing to evaluate him every day, day-to-day at this point. It's nice that we don't have another game until Friday after this one. After playing six games in ten days, it'll be good for us to have these next couple of days to keep evaluating some of our injured guys."

Right now, the Hornets are the fourth-worst team in the Eastern Conference standings. Ball is still the best playmaker that Charlotte has, even if the shooting splits are horrendous.

Lee just got Brandon Miller back into the lineup a couple of games ago. It seems those two players can't seem to get on the court together at the same time.

The Hornets could still consider trading Lamelo Ball

Despite the fact that Ball disputed the reports that he'd be open to a trade, that has to be something that the Hornets consider. Kon Knueppel has proven to be the real deal in terms of a player to build around.

Building around Knueppel, Miller, and whatever draft assets they would be able to obtain in a Ball trade is something that Jeff Peterson needs to consider thoughtfully.

If things continue to slide backwards, this is something the organization will have to explore. That's also the case if Ball continues to get injured and keeps himself off the court.

Getting Ball back into the lineup sooner rather than later will help management make these decisions.

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