Hornets' Devonte' Graham Ruled out vs. Jazz with Groin Injury

Charlotte Hornets guard Devonte' Graham was ruled out for the second half of Friday night's game against the Utah Jazz with a left groin strain, the team announced. 

The third-year player is averaging 14.5 points and 6.1 assists a game for a Hornets squad looking to turn things around after four straight losing seasons.

Graham is coming off an incredible breakout campaign in 2019-20, averaging 18.2 points, 7.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Including dead caps, the 25-year-old ranked 12th on the Hornets in salary for 2019-20 but ended up leading the team in scoring.

It came after a quiet rookie year while averaging 4.7 points in 46 games as a second-round draft pick.

He finished fifth in voting for the league's Most Improved Player award in 2019-20 behind four players who were selected to the All-Star game.

Things haven't been quite as smooth in 2020-21 and now the former All-American at Kansas will have to overcome the latest injury to remain a top contributor in the NBA. Charlotte fortunately has other quality options in the backcourt between Terry Rozier and rookie LaMelo Ball.