Once a promising young star, LaMelo Ball has been limited to only 58 matches during the last two NBA campaigns due to ankle issues. The last time he played for Charlotte was back in January 26. This is why the point guard is again considering wearing protective braces to avoid future injuries.
In other words, the 2022 All-Star is willing to leave vanity aside and do anything in his power to keep him healthy and on the court. “I’m going to see over the summer, try some stuff,” Ball said of the ankle braces. The player then added that if he can find something that feels good, then “we can go from there.”
Before the start of this season, Ball started wearing these braces in training during the summer, after three different ankle injuries took him away from the competition for long periods of time. This eventually resulted in surgery, and LaMelo insisted that he never found anything completely comfortable on his feet.
LaMelo Ball is once again contemplating wearing ankle braces in hopes of staying on the court. https://t.co/XKjgMJuZ62
— WCCB Charlotte’s CW (@WCCBCharlotte) April 16, 2024
Now that the ankle is finally better, he’s concentrating on competing to his best and staying healthy throughout the summer. “My favorite thing to do is play basketball and to not be able to do it is just horrible,” the star said. “That fact that I got this summer (to be healthy), I’m going to take it and get it as strong I can to get out there and play.”
The 22-year-old is considered a sort of cornerstone for the Hornets, as he was doing great this season before he got injured again. The athlete, who signed a rookie max extension last offseason that will pay him up to $260 million over the next five years, was averaging 23.9 points, 8 assists and 5.1 rebounds per contest while shooting 36% from three-pointers.
The Charlotte administration is convinced that if they pair him up with Brandon Miller, who won three Rookie of the Month awards this season, they can finally make it to the playoffs after 8 years apart.
LaMelo is convinced that the Hornets have a great roster but “we just need everybody to be available to play,” which has been one of their biggest troubles in the past campaigns.
His teammates acknowledge that Ball takes the team to another level and needs to be on court as soon as possible
Nick Richards was the first to admit that the team isn’t the same without Ball on court. “He makes our team go,” said the Hornets center. “It’s really important for us to have him on the court.”
However, the 22-year-old isn’t the only star who has been sidelined due to injury this campaign. The Charlotte locker room also missed starting center Mark Williams and guard Cody Martin for long periods of time, while Gordon Hayward also struggled.
Now that the Hornets will have a new coach in town, as Steve Clifford is taking on a new administrative role, they hope the new energy around the squad brings better luck.
“LaMelo wants to be on the court,” said teammate Miles Bridges. “That’s what people think, that he doesn’t want to be on the court and just wants to wear his jewelry on the sideline. But he wants to be on the court and he wants to win. He knows how important he is to this organization and this is going to be a big summer for him.”
