Baby steps: LaMelo Ball, Malik Monk both inching toward returning for Charlotte Hornets

There is an outside possibility one or both could be ready to go by the weekend's conclusion

Reinforcements are inching closer to returning to the mix for the Charlotte Hornets.

Although they haven’t ramped up the activity to contact levels just yet, LaMelo Ball and Malik Monk each did individual work at practice Monday. Both remain ruled out for Tuesday’s game against Milwaukee and it’s unlikely they will play in Boston on Wednesday. But it sounds like this weekend remains a possibility.

That’s when the Hornets will have a break in their schedule and coach James Borrego said getting a good look at them during then will go a long way in determining when they each can be back in the mix.

“The next step is really getting some live play for both of them,” Borrego said following Monday's practice. “That’s going to be the next step. We are not there yet. So we have some time and hopefully the sooner the better. On both of them. They’re kind of in the same range right now. Different injuries, obviously, but we’re hoping to get some live play for both of them in the next couple of days. There is no guarantee of that happening (Tuesday) or Wednesday. But that’s the hope. That’s the next step for both of these guys.”

A loaded schedule with four games this week doesn't provide the most ideal circumstances, however. Both of their games are of the back-to-back variety and teams rarely — if ever — practice on the next day following the second game.

Still, Borrego said there are other ways to get things accomplished.

“We can do some scenarios -- two-on-two, three-on-three," he said. "Like (Monday), the group that didn’t play (Sunday) — Vern (Carey Jr.), Nick (Richards), Caleb (Martin), Grant (Riller); I might be missing one — that group played with some of our video guys out on the floor. So we are able to put a group out there to help them play some live, either before a game or practice time or shootaround. We’re going to get creative and find time to do that.”

So the short two-day span they have at the end of this week in between games should be an essential part of the evaluation for both in determining just how close they will be at that point. The Hornets also host Miami on Sunday night.

“I think what will be important will be the transition from Wednesday’s game into Saturday’s game," Borrego said. "We have a couple days there to kind of figure out where we are at. So that will be important for us. I don’t know what those two days will look like. But I think that is a positive break in our schedule to see what these two men look like and what they could look like this weekend.”

Monk has missed the last 13 games with a sprained right ankle and Ball has been sidelined following surgery on his right wrist on March 23.

As is the case with most coaches, Borrego is not already pondering the types of combinations and lineups he can put on the floor once Ball and Monk are back in the mix for the stretch run. He has tunnel vision.

“I can’t even go there there,” Borrego said. “I’ve got to live in the moment, live for today and be where my feet are. And today it’s really about looking at what we did (Sunday) night, looking at the rotations (from) last night and preparing for (Tuesday) and looking at rotations. Obviously I’m thinking about those guys and I’ll spend a few minutes thinking about if we get guys back what that could look like. But my focus right now is on these active young men that are ready to go now. And when those guys come back we’ll deal with it.

“And there’s going to be complexity to it when those guys come back. I’m not going to sit here and be naive. If those guys, when those guys come back, it’s going to add a little complexity to the rotation. No question. I’m not going to play all these guys. Something is going to have to give there. What gives? I’m not sure yet.”