LaMelo Ball missed his second consecutive game due to right ankle soreness on Monday. The Hornets star guard admits his frequent absences have taken a toll mentally and that his primary focus is staying off the injury report, Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer writes.
“Facts,” Ball said. “That’s pretty much my main thing.”
Ball appeared in just 36 games last season and has missed more than half of Charlotte’s games this season. He’s working with the team’s medical staff, hoping to find ways to keep him on the court more often.
“We are pretty much just trying to put a whole game plan together right now, get everything right, see what it’s going to be, see how my body is feeling, just see what’s the best solution moving forward,” he said.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Brandon Miller‘s ability to soak up knowledge has impressed Hornets coach Steve Clifford. The second pick of the draft is averaging 14.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. “People always look at these guys and think they’re the fastest, strongest, quickest — that’s not at all what it is,” Clifford told Shane Connuck of the Charlotte Observer. “In the NBA, guys that last learn better, they’re smarter, and they pick things up faster. That’s one of (Miller’s) big strengths.”
- Terry Rozier is still trying to get acclimated to his Heat teammates, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald notes. The former Hornets guard scored just 26 points in his first three games with Miami before his 21-point outing against Phoenix on Monday. “He’ll figure it out,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He’s trying to fit in and I get that. We’re all saying the same thing. We want Terry to be Terry. He’s going to unlock other things for us. You can see the burst that he gives us, the rim pressure, which we need. That’s not just the head coach saying that, that’s his teammates saying that.”
- Hawks forward Saddiq Bey becomes a restricted free agent after the season and he’s been enhancing his value as of late. He scored the game-winning basket on a putback against the Raptors on Sunday. Over the past four games, Bey is shooting 44.8% from the field while averaging 18.3 points and 8.5 rebounds, Lawrence Price III of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes. “I don’t really have a specific mentality coming in besides just to play hard and just be grateful for the opportunity,” Bey said. “I try to just be the most multifaceted guy I can be…just try to affect the game in each and every way.”
Miller has been a killer rookie this year…
Just shows how much time his father put into marketing instead of into his kids…
Would of been an interesting success story if one of them made it in the NBA and won a ring or 2…
Instead the only one who we don’t constantly hear about being on the injury report more than doing something special on the court isn’t even in the NBA…
LaMelo is 22 and Lonzo is 26. They’re both still young, you can’t define their success yet. Two of them made it to the NBA and it’s too early to tell if they may win a ring or 2 but no matter what happens they’re both already more successful than Scarlett666.
It would help LaMelo to put on a little weight – the dude is built like a stick, and that generally doesn’t lead to longevity in the NBA. 6’7 180lbs ain’t built for durability.
If I were a GM I would want nothing to do with any of the Ball brothers. They have been more trouble than they have been worth
Free Bridges.
Jail for Bridges.
Mavs should be interested in PJ Washington since it seems like Grant and Kuzma are out of their budget. Richaun Holmes, Jaden Hardy, Dwight Powell for salary (and Hardy’s upside, giving the Hornets a young SG who doesn’t suck), and protected 2026 first? They’d need to make another move to get a backup C, but they should be doing that anyway tbh. Powell sucks, Holmes isn’t what he used to be.
I see Brandon Miller having a solid NBA career but not in Charlotte. I think eventually he will leave Charlotte and pair with a super star player something like Aaron Gordon in Denver or Chris Middleton in Milwaukee.
Not sure anyone is destined to have a solid career in Charlotte