Charlotte Hornets standout rookie LaMelo Ball is set to make his return to the court.
The team announced on Saturday that Ball will be back in action when the Hornets host the Detroit Pistons.
INJURY UPDATE: @hornets vs DET 5/1
— Charlotte Hornets PR (@HornetsPR) May 1, 2021
Ball (R wrist) has been upgraded and is available to play and Monk (R ankle) has been upgraded to available to play #AllFly https://t.co/FaDxaVYqUU
Ball, who suffered a fractured wrist on March 20, has missed each of Charlotte's last 21 games. In his absence, the Hornets posted a 10-11 record and now stand at 30-32 on the season, good for eighth in the Eastern Conference.
Through 41 games, Ball emerged as the favourite to capture Rookie of the Year honours, posting averages of 15.9 points, 6.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds per contest, taking home Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honours for the first three months of the season. In 21 games as a starter, Ball upped his scoring average to 19.5 points per game to go along with 6.2 assists and 5.8 boards.
The timing of the 19-year-old's return is crucial for the Hornets.
With 10 games remaining in the regular season, Charlotte is 2.5 games behind the seventh-seeded Miami Heat but holds just a marginal lead over the Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards, who are ninth and 10th in the standings, respectively.
After playing the Pistons, the Hornets will host the Heat on the second end of a back-to-back. They are also set to face the Wizards on the final day of the 2020-21 NBA season.
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