Here’s the latest update on LaMelo Ball, Mark Williams and other injured Hornets
If any of the Charlotte Hornets inserted their work address into Waze on Sunday to find the best route possible, no one could have blamed them.
After all, they hadn’t been at the Novant Health Training Center since Christmas.
The recent excursion — that took the Hornets from California to Arizona to Colorado before going back to California and finishing in Chicago — was that long. That Carolina blue sky probably never looked better.
“Felt great,” coach Steve Clifford said. “Nah, it feels good. We have 14 of our next 21 at home. There’s 39 days to the All-Star break. We have 21 games here (upcoming), 21 at home. Hopefully, we are going to get some of these guys back and get on a little bit of a roll here.”
That was Clifford’s main message to the road-weary, injury-plagued Hornets (8-25) leading into Monday night’s tilt with the Chicago Bulls at Spectrum Center. Despite the bleak results as they inch closer to the season’s halfway point, the postseason picture hasn’t taken shape yet.
“Right now we are five out in the loss column with wherever it is — forty-something games left to play,” Clifford said. “So, we have more than enough time. And what we have done is we’ve proven that we can play with the better teams. We’ve proved that we can do it.
“We don’t have a lot of room for error and they know that. I tell them that all the time. We have to play really, really well. But we’ve done that. So, that’s what we have to do this week. … You can’t be worrying about who’s coming back.”
Here’s a look at where things stand with the Hornets’ injuries leading into their matchup with the Bulls:
LaMelo Ball
After slowly increasing his individual activity over the past five weeks and focusing on conditioning, the Hornets’ star point guard is in the final phase of his rehabilitation and could be back in the mix relatively soon.
Ball was a full participant in Sunday’s practice and did some five-on-five scrimmaging, signaling he’s on the right path and close to logging minutes for the first time since Nov. 26, when he limped off the court in Orlando.
Even though it’s just the latest step for Ball, his usage in practice offers insight into how he’s feeling. He’s worked up a lather prior to a few of the Hornets’ games recently, making Charlotte’s fanbase all the more eager for the team’s engine to return.
Mark Williams
There’s no clarity about the long-term status of the Hornets’ second-year big man.
Williams remains out and although he’s able to conduct pregame sessions, the Hornets have not provided a specific timetable for when they’ll have him in uniform for game action again. He’s been diagnosed with a lower back contusion, causing him to miss the past 13 games.
He said his frustrating injury is improving, but the 7-footer is experiencing something he’s never dealt with previously and couldn’t offer any insight on when he’d feel good enough to give it a go once more.
PJ Washington
As if a decimated starting lineup isn’t tough enough to deal with, replacing a key piece of the reserved unit in the meantime doesn’t make matters any easier. And that’s the situation Clifford is facing with Washington the latest to join the walking wounded.
Washington has a right foot sprain, a direct result of him landing on backup center Nathan Mensah’s foot in Chicago on Friday. The expectation is he’ll be considered day-to-day, but sprains can be tricky and there’s no telling exactly how long he’ll be sidelined.
Gordon Hayward
Since inking his four-year, $120 million pact that expires in June, Hayward has yet to be available for a full season — or even large percentage of one — for the Hornets. And that isn’t changing in 2023-24.
Hayward suffered a left calf strain in the opener of the Hornets’ road trip in Los Angeles, going down in their loss to the Clippers. He initially needed a walking boot to help protect the injury, but shed the apparatus a couple of days later.
The team’s original timetable stated the 14-year veteran would be reevaluated in two weeks, meaning he’s due for a progress update by the time they head to Miami for Sunday’s tilt with the Heat. He’s sat out seven games this season and that number will only increase over the coming days.
Frank Ntilikina
Brought on board just before training camp to serve as Ball’s backup, Ntilikina’s season got derailed in the preseason finale against Boston, kickstarting the bevy of injuries that have besieged the Hornets over the last two-plus months.
But he’s recovered from the non-displaced fracture in his tibia, progressing to the point where he’s also practicing with the team and involved in live scrimmages. Although he’s out against the Bulls, Ntilikina could be poised to make his regular-season debut soon if there are no hiccups and things keep heading in its current direction.
