LaMelo Ball averaged 23.9 points and 8.0 assists in 22 games during the 2023-24 season.
CHARLOTTE, NC (AP) — LaMelo Ball is once again considering wearing an ankle brace if it means staying on the court.
Ball has been limited to 58 games over the past two seasons due to ankle issues and has not played for the Charlotte Hornets since Jan. 26. The 2022 All-Star point guard knows that needs to change.
“I’ll see in the summer, try some things,” Ball said of the braces.
He said if he can find something that feels good “we can go from there.”
Ball began wearing ankle braces in preseason training after three separate ankle injuries in 2022-23 sidelined him for long stretches and ultimately led to surgery. But he could never find something that felt completely comfortable on his feet.
The ankle is feeling better now and Ball is looking forward to finally getting healthy this summer and working on his game.
“My favorite thing to do is play basketball and not being able to do that is just horrible,” Ball said. “That fact that I got this summer (to get healthy), I’m going to take it and get as strong as I can to go out there and play.”
Ball, who is just 22 years old, signed a max rookie contract extension last summer that will pay him up to $260 million over the next five seasons.
So it’s a cornerstone in Charlotte.
When healthy, he’s been dynamite this season averaging 23.9 points, eight assists and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 36 percent from beyond the arc.
The Hornets believe that if they can keep Ball on the court and pair him with three-time NBA Rookie of the Month Brandon Miller, they can snap their eight-year playoff drought, the longest in the NBA.
“He gets our team going,” Hornets center Nick Richards said. It is very important for us to have him on the floor.
Ball said he feels the Hornets have a great team, but “we just need everyone to be available to play.”
Ball wasn’t the only injury for the Hornets as starting center Mark Williams and guard Cody Martin were others who missed significant time. Gordon Hayward also struggled with injuries before being traded. Williams has been dealing with back injuries but has vowed to be ready next season.
The Hornets will have a new manager next with Steve Clifford stepping down.
Ball’s absences from games have predictably been a source of frustration for Hornets fans, and the No. 3 overall pick in 2020 has drawn plenty of criticism for his lack of durability.
But teammate Miles Bridges said Ball is very competitive and told him he plans to play at least 75 games next season.
“LaMelo wants to be on the court,” Bridges said. “That’s what people think, that they don’t want to be on the field and just want to wear their jewelry on the sidelines. But he wants to be on the field 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.”