No time to breathe for Charlotte in terms of injuries. While they recovered Terry Rozier yesterday, the Hornets quickly had to deal without LaMelo Ballleft in the second quarter of the game lost against Orlando following a twisted right ankle.
Going on the drive to attempt a lay-up in front of Paolo Banchero, the leader landed badly and twisted his ankle, in addition to receiving all the weight of the Magic winger, which fell on him. Time stood still on the Charlotte side, while the “franchise player” had surgery on the same ankle last March. The first images did not bode well and the player also had to be carried in order to be able to leave the field.
After the meeting, Steve Clifford did not directly mention the case of his leader, pending examinations which will reveal more about his state of health. The coach nevertheless recalled that these repeated injuries which affect the entire squad undermine the dynamic of the group, disrupted from the first rotations.
“Our lack of depth has been a major problem. People talk about our bad starts, but that’s not what we should blame. Due to the high number of injuries, we are replacing players faster than most teams and that has not been a good thing for us,” he lamented. “ We have to arrive at the stadium, where we have a full squad (…). The return of Miles (Bridges) is obviously an important element in all aspects of the game. Melo (was) starting to play better. Mark Williams is playing better and better and there is a lot we can build on. I think our record is not up to our expectations, but once again, we have to know why this is happening.”
Since the start of the season, LaMelo Ball was part of a very closed group, among the 7 players in the league to average more than 25 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Along with Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, LeBron James and Nikola Jokic.
| LaMelo Ball | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2020-21 | CHA | 51 | 29 | 43.6 | 35.2 | 75.8 | 1.2 | 4.7 | 5.9 | 6.1 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 15.8 |
| 2021-22 | CHA | 75 | 32 | 42.9 | 38.9 | 87.2 | 1.4 | 5.2 | 6.7 | 7.6 | 3.2 | 1.6 | 3.3 | 0.4 | 20.1 |
| 2022-23 | CHA | 36 | 35 | 41.1 | 37.6 | 83.6 | 1.2 | 5.3 | 6.4 | 8.4 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 3.6 | 0.3 | 23.3 |
| 2023-24 | CHA | 14 | 35 | 44.2 | 38.9 | 85.7 | 1.6 | 4.1 | 5.8 | 8.6 | 3.7 | 1.5 | 4.1 | 0.3 | 25.9 |
| Total | 176 | 32 | 42.7 | 37.8 | 83.1 | 1.3 | 5.0 | 6.3 | 7.4 | 3.1 | 1.5 | 3.3 | 0.4 | 20.0 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
