Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball has been diagnosed with a left calf strain, the team announced Saturday in a press release. Ball’s injury, which he suffered during Wednesday’s game vs. Miami, was initially listed as left calf soreness before he underwent additional evaluation.
According to the Hornets, their leading scorer will be reevaluated two weeks after the injury, which occurred on Dec. 11.
That means that Ball, who missed his first game of the season on Friday vs. New York, will remain sidelined for at least Charlotte’s next five games — against the Hawks, Sixers, Knicks, Cavaliers and Pacers — and could be beyond that.
Ball has been one of the NBA’s most dynamic players this season, averaging a career-high 31.3 points per game with 6.9 assists and 5.4 rebounds per night. His shooting percentage is modest at 43.0%, he’s averaging 4.5 turnovers per game, and his defense has been subpar, but the Hornets will certainly miss the 23-year-old on the offensive end of the floor.
The Hornets also announced Saturday that guard Tre Mann, who has missed the past four games due to low back soreness, has been diagnosed with disc irritation. Mann will be reevaluated in two weeks, on Dec. 14.
Mann, who is in his fourth NBA season, got off to a solid start this fall, with averages of 14.1 PPG, 3.0 APG and 2.9 RPG, along with a .400 3PT%, in his first 13 games off the bench (24.5 MPG). He’ll be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
The banged-up Hornets will lean heavily on third-string point guard Vasilije Micic with Ball and Mann unavailable — the Serbian played 31 minutes in Friday’s loss to New York. Nick Smith Jr., KJ Simpson and Seth Curry are among the other candidates for increased roles in the backcourt.
There is some good news on Charlotte’s injury front. Center Nick Richards, who hasn’t played since Nov. 1 due to a broken rib, has been upgraded to questionable for Saturday’s game vs. Atlanta. It sounds like he’s on track to return either Saturday or Tuesday vs. Philadelphia.