Hornets' LaMelo Ball Expected to Make Full Recovery After Surgery on Ankle Injury

Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball underwent surgery Wednesday for the fracture in his right ankle.

"Ball, who is expected to make a full recovery, will miss the remainder of the season, and further updates regarding his status will be provided as appropriate," the Hornets said in their announcement.

The 2021-22 All-Star was on his way to a big game on Monday night against the Detroit Pistons. He had 18 points, six rebounds and five assists in 21 minutes on the floor.

Midway through the third quarter, though, Ball went down untouched and was favoring his right ankle.

It didn't take long for the Hornets to confirm the 6'7" playmaker suffered an ankle fracture.

Ball battled multiple issues with the other ankle this season, which limited him to 36 games. They didn't seem to hamper his performance much, though, as his 23.8 points and 8.6 assists per 36 minutes were career highs, according to Basketball Reference.

Thanks to missing their best player for long stretches early in the year, the Hornets have been anchored near the bottom of the Eastern Conference for much of the campaign. At 20-43, they have the second-worst record in the conference.

Ball's fracture means things aren't going to get much better for Charlotte. He and the team will be equally eager to turn the page to 2023-24 as quickly as possible.

The only silver lining is that the Hornets might be bad enough the rest of the way to be one of the NBA's three worst teams, thus slightly improving their odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft. Charlotte is currently fourth in the draft lottery behind the San Antonio Spurs.