Before ESPN pulled the plug on the Charlotte Hornets’ lone scheduled national appearance last week, determining the franchise still isn’t ready for prime time, LaMelo Ball’s status was up in the air.
That finally changed Friday night, though.
Everything checked out and the Hornets’ star point guard cleared the last remaining hurdle, paving the way for him to make his grand return against the San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama. Although his presence alone wasn’t enough to lift the Hornets out of their doldrums, just having him on the court for their 135-99 loss represented a mini victory.
Ball posted a team-best 28 points along with five steals, five assists and three rebounds, going to the free throw line a career-high 16 times. But the sour taste left in his mouth from the blowout didn’t sit well with him.
“It’s always good to play basketball, but (shoot) not like that,” Ball said. “But it was cool to get back out there.”
Ball missed the Hornets’ past 20 games due to a severely sprained right ankle, adding to the numbing total he’s accumulated after sustaining an injury in each of his four seasons in the NBA. He gradually increased his individual activity and recently began practicing and scrimmaging in full, ensuring he was on the right track.
It’s been a lengthy process since limping off the floor in Orlando on Nov. 28, but don’t expect to hear him gripe or mope about it. That’s not in his makeup.
“I feel great,” Ball said. “I’m alive. I’m blessed. Can’t complain. I’m good.”
Ball’s infectious spirit alone seems to lift up the Hornets’ spirits. He means that much to them.
“It’s great to have him,” Miles Bridges said. “We would have won a lot more games if he was playing with us before. So, we just want to get in our groove again and then take off.”
In more ways than one, too.
“It makes everything easier,” Clifford said. “And again, we have to be fair to him. He’s worked hard. He’s not going to start (and go back to) the way he was. He’s missed a bunch of games. He hasn’t played since game 15, so he’s missed whatever, over 20 games.
“But again, you know how he is. It won’t take him long to get into a rhythm and (could) be a big shot in the arm for our team.”
Ball logged 27 minutes against the Spurs and properly monitoring and managing his court time will be key. The last thing the Hornets want to do is push him too hard. A collaborative discussion between Clifford, director of healthcare and sports performance Joe Sharpe and Ball has already taken place and they have a plan.
“He’s worked hard, so it’s not like he’s on significant, significant restrictions,” Clifford said. “It’s just to me, how many minutes at a time.”
Before going down against the Magic, Ball had kicked things into gear, finally knocking off the rust that was pestering him through the first 10 games. He averaged 33.8 points in his last five games prior to getting hurt, which is the highest scoring average in any five-game span of his career. Also, he recorded at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in seven straight games, establishing the longest streak in franchise history.
The Hornets went 3-17 without him and that didn’t sit well with the 22-year-old.
“Always when you lose, it’s for sure disappointment,” Ball said. “Here we’ve still got a chance to make something happen. So I’m just looking forward for real.
“I don’t really like watching basketball. It wasn’t really fun. That’s why I was happy to get back. So, I’m definitely just trying to come back and just play.”
Ball’s last outing also marked the only occasion all season — albeit it extremely briefly — where the Hornets had most of their projected rotation together and healthy. Even on the night he stepped into the lineup again, they lost Brandon Miller to a low back contusion.
But Ball hopes they can eventually have a stretch where Miller, Bridges, Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, Mark Williams and everyone else is in uniform.
“That would be amazing for real,” Ball said, “build chemistry, keep playing with them. The longer you play with people, the easier and the funner it gets. So, we are definitely trying to get to that, too.
“It’s pretty much just one of those things. Every team has got players injured. Ours is just way more. So we’ve just got to stay positive, get people back and keep on trying to win.”
At least he doesn’t have to cover up his neck tattoo — something the NBA forced him to do earlier in the season after initially deeming it violated the league’s rule of promoting products through tattoos — any longer. He’s keeping everything in perspective, refusing to get too riled up.
“Yeah, I’m alive, well,” Ball said. “I’m just doing what I like, I’m having fun here, love the family. I just love being around basketball, having fun and living. So, can’t complain.”
This story was originally published January 12, 2024, 2:23 PM.
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