Is LaMelo Ball playing tonight vs Indiana Pacers? Latest injury update from Charlotte Hornets (November 4)
LaMelo Ball is clearly the Charlotte Hornets franchise player as he signed a five-year, $260 million contract during the off-season. So far this season, the Hornets have struggled as they are entering their next matchup against the Indiana Pacers with a 1-3 record.
With Ball's injury history, his fitness is a question every game. However, Ball's name is not included on the Hornets' injury report, means he is good to go unless there is a last-minute scratch.
LaMelo Ball has struggled to find his shooting rhythm, going only 30% from the field. His statistics after four games are a subpar 15.5 points, 8.0 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.
It does not help that five players that are missing time for the Hornets. One of them is Ish Smith who is needed to condition himself before joining the team. Caleb Martin is also out with a knee injury. James Bouknight, Frank Ntilikina and Miles Bridges are also out and will be expected to join the team sometime in November.
Hornets coach Steve Clifford highlights Hornets' poor start instead of LaMelo Ball's shooting woes
The Charlotte Hornets have not found their winning rhythm after their opening-day victory. Head coach Steve Clifford sees this as a team effort, rather than pointing to LaMelo Ball's bad shooting days.
According to Clifford, the consistency of playing the entire 48 minutes of an NBA game has been the main reason why the team is slipping again in the standings. He told the media:
"What we haven't done, we haven't started well. You've got to play 48 minutes in this league. The effort has been good, but playing hard in this league is not enough. Playing hard gives you a chance, especially a team like we have. But we've got to be purposeful from the beginning, and it's been different things different nights."
After this game, the Charlotte Hornets have another road matchup, this time with the Dallas Mavericks on November 5. They return to their home court on November 8 to face the Washington Wizards.