LaMelo Ball popped up on the injury report for Friday’s game against the Knicks somewhat unexpectedly. It was originally called calf soreness, but the team is now calling it a calf strain. It’s also calling Tre Mann’s back issue “disc irritation.” Both players are going to be reevaluated in two weeks, which effectively sets that as the minimum amount of time before a return is possible.
OFFICIAL: LaMelo Ball has been diagnosed with a left calf strain. Additionally, further evaluation of Tre Mann’s low back soreness has been diagnosed as disc irritation.
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) November 30, 2024
On the surface, these seem like fairly minor injuries that won’t have too big an impact on the season. But given the recent history of injuries for the Hornets and LaMelo Ball in particular, it’s fair to be worried if and for how long these injuries will linger. Ball missed 106 games in the last two seasons with various ankle and foot issues. This isn’t one of those, which is positive, but it’s still another lower leg injury.
Mann’s issue seems to be the general low back pain that a lot of us experience at times throughout our lives. It comes and goes and can linger for a while. Hopefully the two weeks devoted to rehab will get him back quickly. But again, as a Hornets fan, it’s fair to fear back injuries after Mark Williams lost almost all of last season after what started out as a seemingly insignificant back issue.
On a positive note, Nick Richards has been upgraded to questionable on the injury report for today’s game against the Hawks. That means the Hornets only have six players that have been officially ruled out. Normal stuff.
