What LaMelo Ball's & Mason Plumlee's assignment to Greensboro means for the Hornets

After starting in the first six games of the 2025-26 NBA season, Charlotte Hornets star guard LaMelo Ball has missed each of the last four games with an ankle injury.

The former Chino Hills star has dealt with constant ankle injuries over the last few seasons, which have been part of the reason that Ball has played in less than 50 games in all of the last three seasons.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Hornets announced that Ball and veteran center Mason Plumlee were being assigned to Charlotte's G-League team, the Greensboro Swarm, for practice.

G-League practices typically allow for players returning from injury to take part in a coordinated ramp-up session. In LaMelo's case, it allows the guard to be in full-contact 5-on-5, work out for much longer than a normal NBA practice, have significantly more staff dedicated to rehab work, and the intensity will be fully controlled.

Mason Plumlee's assignment is to be the adult on the floor. Plumlee is reliable, and can help run the sets that Ball needs to rep. Alongside several NBA-level players such as Tidjane Salaun, Plumlee helps increase the quality of the practice, and will help pace the practice.

The positive news here is that LaMelo is likely close to returning from his ankle injury. With coming back from injury, LaMelo will need conditioning reps as well as a full-speed practice, and this is an excellent chance for him to do so. It also gives the Hornets a chance to see how Ball responds to a practice before allowing him to play in a game.

It's an excellent opportunity for the organization to see where LaMelo is currently.

"I'm actually excited about the progress he's been making," Hornets Head Coach Charles Lee said pregame yesterday. Lee also mentioned that him, the training staff, and Ball all sat down recently to lay out a plan, and all three are extremely excited about it.

"At the end of the day we are trying to just focus on how can we continue to maximize how many games he can play this season."

The Hornets take on the Milwaukee Bucks tomorrow night, and it remains to be seen as to whether or not Ball will play.

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