Hornets Notes: Ball, Simpson, Playoff Drought, Nurkic

Hornets head coach Charles Lee tried to find the bright side of the injuries that will keep LaMelo Ball out for the rest of the season, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. The team announced Friday that Ball will have arthroscopic surgery to address a right ankle impingement, along with a minor procedure on his right wrist. His recovery time is projected at four to six weeks before he can resume basketball activities.

“Kind of like a blessing in disguise, or the good side of things, is that they are minor procedures with short timelines and so hopefully he’s got a great offseason,” Lee said. “I know it’s a testament to him already, and the performance staff, and everyone that works with him to make sure that he kind of attacks this offseason with the right mindset and approach to just keep getting better.”

Ball appeared in 47 games this season, which is his highest total since 2021/22. Ankle issues have prevented him from playing consistently for the past several months, and the Hornets rarely used him in both games of back-to-backs. He has four seasons remaining on his maximum-salary rookie scale extension and is still owed $168.7MM.

“That type of player, I think that what he’s been able to accomplish this season, he set a tone as one of the leaders of our team, in terms of just trying to be available,” Lee added. “He’s been battling through a ton and the fact that he’s kind of had this warrior mentality to try to show up every night … Unfortunate to lose him. But I know he’s going to attack his rehab with a great mindset.”

There’s more from Charlotte:

• Ball’s absence has created an opportunity for rookie point guard KJ Simpson, who made his seventh start of the season on Sunday, Boone states in a separate story. After missing Summer League and the early part of training camp due to a hamstring injury, Simpson believes he benefited from the time he spent with the Hornets’ G League affiliate. “Honestly, I think that if I hadn’t gone down to the G League I’d be able to find that confidence and that rhythm that I was able to come out and show fans, ‘Oh shoot, that’s the spark and that’s what he got drafted for’ because it was definitely hard,” Simpson said. “Especially when you are coming in injured, you already feel so far behind.”
• The NBA’s longest active playoff drought was extended to nine years when the Hornets were officially eliminated last week, Boone adds in another piece. There was optimism when the season began, but that fell apart quickly amid injuries and poor play. “The playoffs, there’s nothing like the playoffs, being in this time of year fighting for your seeding and what not,” said Josh Green, who was traded to Charlotte after playing in last year’s NBA Finals with Dallas. “So, it should make everyone hungry watching the playoffs this year. Everybody should be motivated. It’s obviously tough, but at the end of the day we’ve got to make sure that we are ready to go next year, and good habits start now for us.”
• In an interview with Toni Canyameras of El Mundo Deportivo, Jusuf Nurkic said being traded from Phoenix to Charlotte has been good for his career and he “can definitely see a long future here.” Nurkic refused to discuss his time with the Suns, which included losing his starting job in January and then being benched, but he acknowledged the need to adapt to changing circumstances. “You have to play roles,” he said. “Sometimes they don’t turn out the way you think. But you have to stay strong. The NBA changes overnight, and suddenly you’re in a great position playing your best basketball.”