Charlotte Hornets star, Lamelo Ball, will miss the rest of the season, since it undergoes two minor procedures to address correct ankle and wrist problems, the team said Friday.
The ball will undergo arthroscopic surgery in a right impact on the ankle and will have a right wrist procedure, according to Hornets.
Ball had played through pain in recent weeks before he and the team consult doctors about the best course of action, sources told ESPN. Team doctors and external specialists concluded that the procedures will allow the SANE ball and have a complete and productive low season.
Ball, 23, has dealt with ankle injuries in recent years, losing at least 25 games in each of the last three seasons after playing 75 games in 2021-22.
He underwent surgery in his right ankle in 2023, and this is the second consecutive year, the Hornets have closed the ball on March 28. He was retained for the rest of the 2023-24 season to rehabilitate his right ankle after recurring problems after a November 2023 sprain.
The decision for the 2024-25 season ends the professional year of the ball in annotations with 25.2 points per game. He also averaged 7.4 assists and 4.9 rebounds for 32 minutes in 47 games this season.
Ball is the first Hornet player to average 25 points and seven assists in a season, and had a franchise record six games with 25 points and 10 assists, according to ESPN Research. Ball had the second highest use rate in the NBA.
The Hornets (18-54) have the third record in the NBA, but have accumulated a significant capital of Draft, acquiring six selections since October. Charlotte has all his first round selections in the future years and has a total of 11 first round selections and 13 second round in the future.
Charlotte saw success with alignments with Ball, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges and Mark Williams, but their possessions were limited due to injuries.
Miller wasted time with injuries, including a crooked ankle, before undergoing right wrist surgery that ends the season in January. Bridges came out almost a month with a bone bruise in the right knee, and Williams began the injured season before a possible exchange with the Los Angeles Lakers was rejected by a failed physicist.
