Just when fans thought things couldn’t get any worse for the Charlotte Hornets, they learned that the team will be without LaMelo Ball in their NBA Cup game against the New York Knicks. The star is expected to miss his first game of the 2024/25 season due to left calf pain.

The Hornets have lost eight players, including five of six of their top scorers this season.

Charlotte probably wants its best player on the floor as much as possible. After all, he represents the team’s best chance of winning on any given night. Unfortunately, he appears to have sustained the injury toward the end of the Hornets’ loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday.

Mark Williams, Nick Richards, Miles Bridges, Grant Williams and Tre Mann are among those still out and it doesn’t look like any of them are coming back anytime soon, especially Grant Williams who is out for the season.

The lack of a lot of bodies has led the coaching staff to rely entirely on Ball. The good news is that the 2022 All-Star has accepted the challenge. He is second in the league in average points (31.1) and 3-pointers (4.7) and provides 6.9 assists per game.

Without a reliable goalkeeper outside of Ball and Brandon Miller, the coaching staff has had to use the youngster for 38.8 minutes per contest over the last three games. He is at an age where he can still handle such a heavy workload. However, we must remember that he has had two seasons full of injuries, in which he was forced to miss 106 of a possible 164 games.

Additionally, this isn’t the first time the 2021 rookie of the year has been listed on the Hornets’ injury report. As a result, he had to deal with discomfort throughout the season. A little rest should allow him to recover and put his body in order.

The timing couldn’t be better as Ball would be able to avoid a physical challenge against the Knicks. Not that he can’t handle it, but as mentioned, his health may not be in optimal condition yet. And besides, Charlotte is effectively eliminated from the regular-season tournament, so it’s not like the team has anything big to show for Friday.

Some may wonder how the Hornets will cope without their chief of staff. His teammates, particularly Miller, Vasilije Micic and likely KJ Simpson, will have no choice but to take on the role of ball handler and distributor. If that’s not possible, this should serve as another wake-up call for the front office to address their playmaking issues.