Hornets Injury Update: LaMelo Ball Healthy to Play vs. Magic This Week?

The Orlando Magic could face LaMelo Ball when the Charlotte Hornets come to town on Monday.

Jeremy Brener | Nov 12, 2022

Hornets Injury Update: LaMelo Ball Healthy to Play vs. Magic This Week? /

ORLANDO - The Charlotte Hornets are just a few days away from their rematch against the Orlando Magic on Monday, but they might have a trick up their sleeve that they didn't get to showcase in the last meeting.

Hornets All-Star guard LaMelo Ball is questionable to make his debut tonight against the Miami Heat. Ball, 21, has missed the first 13 games of the season with an ankle injury, but could make his debut on Saturday. It's the first time Ball has been upgraded to questionable all season.

Even if Ball doesn't play Saturday against Miami, it means that he is inching closer to action, increasing his chances of playing Monday night against Orlando.

Last season, Ball averaged 20.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game in his second NBA campaign. The 3-10 Hornets could certainly get a boost from his return to the court.

Included in those 10 losses came one from the Magic last month in Orlando. The Hornets shot under 40 percent in a 113-93 loss. The highest scoring output on the team came from Gordon Hayward, who dropped 18 points in the loss.

The Hornets were a top-10 offense last season, but rank 28th this year so far, so Ball's return will certainly have an impact. And the Magic may be one of the first tests against the revamped Hornets' offense.

The Hornets and Magic play Monday at 7 p.m. in Orlando.

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Published Nov 12, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.