LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, More Hornets in Health Protocols; Likely Out Several Games

The Charlotte Hornets announced guards LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier, center Mason Plumlee and forward Jalen McDaniels entered the NBA's COVID-19 health and safety protocols on Saturday.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported at least Ball and Rozier are "expected to miss several games":

It's a significant setback for the Hornets, as all four players are part of the team's rotation, with Ball and Rozier among their top three scorers.

Ball has been the driving force beyond the team's success so far this season. He's averaged a team-high 20 points along with 8.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 1.9 steals across 24 games as Charlotte has compiled a 13-11 record in pursuit of its first playoff berth since 2016.

The reigning NBA Rookie of the Year ranks sixth among all players in FiveThirtyEight's WAR metric.

Rozier ranks third on the Hornets in scoring (17.7 PPG) while also averaging 3.6 dimes, 3.5 boards and 1.3 swipes in 19 appearances.

Plumlee (6.8 PPG) and McDaniels (5.5 PPG) are key pieces of the frontcourt rotation.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Hornets sent home the remainder of their staff and players while awaiting further information about the possibility of more positive test results.

Charlotte, which is scheduled to travel Saturday ahead of Sunday's road game against the Atlanta Hawks, tentatively has enough players to satisfy the NBA's minimum of eight to play a game.

A confirmed positive test leads to a mandatory 10-day quarantine based on the league's COVID protocols. For Hornets players, that would result in a minimum absence of five games through a Dec. 13 meeting with the Dallas Mavericks.

The NBA hasn't been forced to postpone any games on its 2021-22 schedule because of coronavirus-related issues so far.

Charlotte last played Wednesday, a 127-125 road loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.