LaMelo Ball Injury Update: Hornets Star Out For Season With Fractured Ankle!
Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball went down with an injury last night and the team has received bad news on his status for the remainder of the season.
Ball went down in the third quarter Monday night holding his right ankle on the court. He was later diagnosed with a fractured ankle and has now been ruled out for the remainder of the season. Losing the face of your franchise is never a good thing especially when he already suffered three sprained ankles on his left ankle this season. His ankles have been an issue this year and it ultimately resulted in the end to his season. This has to be a concern moving forward. Hopefully, an offseason of rest and recovery can help resolve this issue so it doesn’t nag him in the future.
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There is some good news, however. With this already being a lost season for the Hornets who currently sit 9.5 games out of the play-in tournament, Ball is fully expected to be ready for the start of next season. The long-term health of their superstar point guard is the most important thing for this franchise to focus on at the moment. This should also improve the team’s lottery odds as well if you want to take a glass-half-full approach.
With Ball sidelined, Terry Rozier and Dennis Smith Jr. should see increased roles for the Hornets. Rozier is the much more prolific offensive weapon, however, Smith now potentially becomes relevant.
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Fantasy Impact Of LaMelo Ball Injury
Our main focus has to be Rozier here and luckily, we have a decent sample size to go of off for fantasy owners. This season Scary Terry has played 33 games with Ball and 19 games without him. When Ball has been sidelined Rozier averages three more minutes per game. In those games, he has averaged three more points, 1.6 more rebounds, and 1.1 more assists per game. Without Ball, his averages are 23.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game.
Smith is essentially irrelevant when Ball plays but becomes a potential streaming option now that he’s done for the year. He has played 23 games with Melo and 18 without him. Without Ball, Smith plays 4.6 more minutes per game. He also averages 1.8 more points per game to go along with 0.7 more rebounds, and 2.5 more assists per game, which is a significant jump. With Ball out, his averages are 9.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game. His upside is also significantly higher on any given night.
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