Why LaMelo Ball is not playing against the Thunder
The Charlotte Hornets will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday as the team hopes to earn its fifth win of the season. Unfortunately, it looks like Charlotte will be without point guard LaMelo Ball in this game.
Ball, who is 24 years old, is officially off due to an ankle injury, according to the NBA’s official injury report. However, the good news is that the injury is not serious, with the Hornets categorizing his absence as “Injury Management.”
It’s Saturday’s game second straight game for the Hornets. Friday’s contest resulted in a 147-134 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. So it’s not too much of a shock that Charlotte plans to sit LaMelo Ball against the Thunder, since he’ll get a little rest over the weekend.
Ball has played in seven of 11 available games so far in the 2025-26 season. When healthy, he has proven to be one of the most reliable producers for the Hornets. This season, the former Rookie of the Year is averaging 22.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 9.9 assists per game while shooting 41.9% from the field and 33.3% from the three-point line.
That’s a ton of production the Hornets will miss on Saturday. With LaMelo Ball out of the lineup, the team will likely turn to Tre Mann and Collin Sexton to lead the running back position. However, Ball’s absence creates an opportunity for 2025 rookie Kon Knuepel to step up in a big way for his team early in the season.
2025-11-15 21:17:00
