Hornets: LaMelo Ball may have suffered season-ending wrist injury

Charlotte Hornets rookie guard LaMelo Ball could be out for the remainder of the season with a wrist injury.

This season, the Charlotte Hornets have transformed from a middling franchise to a playoff contender, and plenty of credit can be given to rookie guard LaMelo Ball. The third overall selection in this past year’s NBA Draft is an exciting watch and he has played like the clear favorite for the Rookie of the Year award. Unfortunately, his season may already be over.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Ball suffered a fractured right wrist during Saturday’s game against the LA Clippers and is currently receiving a second opinion for a doctor. ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reports the sad news that Ball is expected to miss the remainder of the season.

Hornets: Star rookie LaMelo Ball could be out for remainder of season

Wojnarowski continued his report, saying that the fracture occurred near his right thumb and that he will meet with Dr. Michelle Carlson at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York early this week for the second opinion.

During the second quarter of the aforementioned Clippers game, Ball drove to the paint to attempt a layup and drew a foul in the process. However, he landed directly on his wrist when falling onto the court. Ball did return despite the injury, where he recorded 13 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals in the 125-98 loss to the Clippers.

This season, Ball is averaging 15.9 points, 6.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 45.1 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from the 3-point line.

Now with Ball likely out for the rest of the season, it will remain to be seen how the Hornets attack the trade deadline, especially since they hold the 8-seed in the Eastern Conference as of this writing.