Hornets mailbag: Will LaMelo Ball or Mark Williams play again this season?

The home stretch is thankfully upon us.

A lost season is winding down for the Charlotte Hornets and they’ll soon start turning their full attention to a summer that promises to be loaded with intrigue. Plenty of questions are hovering around the Hornets, especially with the front office changes led by Jeff Peterson’s hiring as the executive vice president of basketball operations.

In this latest mailbag, we answer reader queries about LaMelo Ball’s chances of playing again this season, Mark Williams’ progress, Grant Williams’ future and more.

Miles Bridges’ future

Adam Bouanaka asks on X, formerly known as Twitter: Obviously, it’s a long way out and a lot can happen between them, but what do you think is the most likely scenario for Miles Bridges this offseason? Do you think he’s re-signed or do you think the team tries to move in a sign-and-trade?

You’re right. It’s extremely early and things can change in a nanosecond in the NBA when it comes to player movements and free agency. But there will always be one constant: Money talks. It won’t be any different in this scenario. Miles has repeatedly said he wants to be here, telling me as such as recently as the day after the trade deadline, and in speaking with Peterson, he really talked Bridges up, noting his durability.

Both sides seem to want to keep the partnership going, but it’s going to come down to dollars and sense. If some team offers him more millions, what direction do you think his agent Rich Paul would lean? The Hornets can offer Bridges more years and guaranteed money that any other team and they’re going to have to open up the virtual checkbook and give it to him or risk losing him to another suitor and hope they can work out a sign-and-trade, similar to what they did when they received Terry Rozier back in the deal sending Kemba Walker to Boston in 2019.

LaMelo Ball return?

Devin Martin asks on X: Is it more likely that LaMelo plays again this season or sits out the rest of the year?

From everything gathered from this vantage point, you’ll see him again before the curtain falls on the 2023-24 campaign. Exactly when, however, is where things get a bit cloudy. Only LaMelo truly knows his body, and how he’s responding to treatment and ramping up his individual activity. As he explained to me before the All-Star break, which was the last time he spoke publicly, he wanted to put most of the focus on getting healthy since he’s yet to play a full season.

But he’s back to practicing and doing just about everything except playing in actual games. Unless he tweaks something or the physicians decide it’s best for him to keep sitting, the vibe seems to point toward him suiting up again. Even Peterson suggested as much in my chat with him. So, no, it’s not etched in stone but there’s a good possibility you haven’t seen LaMelo in game action for the final occasion this season.

Best backup point guard?

Robin Banks asks on X: Who do you think will be the guard rotation when fully healthy? Will Mann or Vasilije Micic be backup pg at full strength?

Going off first impressions and the amount of minutes he’s logged, particularly as a starter, the backup job is likely Tre Mann’s to lose. Vasilije Micić will be nipping at his heels because of his knowledge of the game overall, but Micić is still learning how to adjust to the NBA style of action. As is Mann, of course.

But Mann’s familiarity with some of the intricacies on both sides of the ball gives him the slight upper hand in being LaMelo’s understudy. Micić could easily make things neck-and-neck with a solid showing over these remaining games and a strong showing leading into training camp. Either way, the Hornets appear to be set with depth behind LaMelo for the first time, which provides a decent enough insurance policy if their star point guard can’t go due to injury.

Grant Williams

@IsolationNBA asks on X: Do you expect Grant Williams to be a long-term Hornet or will they trade him?

The words ‘long’ and ‘term’ don’t really go together in sports any longer. There are probably only a few select players in the league who won’t be changing teams at some point in the future. But if the question is will Grant be around for a while, the answer — unless something unforeseen crops up — is a resounding yes. Besides giving the Hornets a local element and hometown player for fans to root for, he has a calming veteran presence that is much needed.

His ability to stretch a defense with his 3-point shooting is something the Hornets also lacked before he arrived. He seems to be a good fit, and barring a deal coming along the Hornets simply can’t turn down, Williams is here to stay beyond this season.

Jeff Peterson’s title

Clint asks on X: Why is Jeff Peterson the VP of ops instead of the president? What changed? Did Mitch Kupchak decide to stay?

Don’t get caught up in semantics. Nothing changed. Upon checking in with sources and figuring out what Peterson’s title would officially be once word broke about his impending arrival, my understanding was it hadn’t been established yet. But he was going to be the head of basketball operations regardless. We knew he was in line to be the chief decision maker.

His title of EVP wields plenty of power and he’s already compiling his staff, bringing in Dotun Akinwale as the assistant GM.

Mark Williams

@stubert704 asks on X: What level of activity has Mark Williams been cleared to engage in and how long until he’s back in 5-on-5 drills?

He’s still apparently in recovery mode. There hasn’t been any revving up in regards to team activity and he’s continued to put in the same workload he’s been doing for a while now. Not much, if anything, is different team-wise for the second-year center who’s been limited to 19 games. His next reevaluation should come within the next week or so.

Perhaps then there will be more enlightenment, but that’s the gist of where things stand with the Hornets’ big man. But at this juncture, it’d be a shock to see him in game action again this season.