For the Hornets, it’s a scene that’s become far too familiar: a game hanging in the balance and LaMelo Ball heading toward the tunnel instead of the scorer’s table. The talented guard left tonight’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors in the third quarter, sparking fresh concern about yet another setback for a player whose brilliance has too often been interrupted by injury.

“LaMelo Ball left tonight’s Charlotte Hornets game against the Toronto Raptors with left ankle soreness and is out for the rest of the game,” veteran reporter Michael Scotto wrote on X. It confirmed that the team’s floor general is dealing with an ankle injury. However, the extent of it remains uncertain.

The sequence occurred in the third quarter, with 9:48 left. Brandon Ingram outlet-passed the ball to Jamal Shead on the Hornets’ side of the court. Ball moved over to defend him, but appeared to slide, putting intense pressure on his right ankle. He got up, but had to be helped off the court by team officials.

Before exiting, Ball delivered a steady performance. In 12 minutes, he recorded 11 points on 4-9 shooting, along with three assists, two rebounds, and a steal.

This is a huge blow for Ball, who had previously missed five games with an ankle impingement earlier this season, and has struggled with various ankle injuries throughout his career.

In 2023, he suffered a right ankle fracture causing him to play just 22 games in the 2023-24 season, and dealt with a variety of issues with his left ankle the following season, suiting up for 40 games.

In his career, Ball has played over 51 games just once, and has logged two seasons under 36 games. Now, the Hornets‘ trio of him, Brandon Miller, and Kon Knueppel has played just six of the team’s 23 games together, and makes a proper evaluation of their core nearly impossible.

LaMelo’s career began promisingly but was disrupted early in March 2021 by a right wrist fracture, causing him to miss 20 games during his rookie season.

Ankle problems dominated thereafter: a right ankle fracture in February 2023, requiring surgery that ended his season after 36 games; a right ankle strain in November 2023, limiting him to 22 games in 2023-24; and ongoing left calf strain plus bilateral ankle/wrist soreness into late 2024 and 2025.

Coincidentally, his older brother Lonzo Ball also faced early setbacks in his career that have significantly shaped his career—limiting him as a role player and not an All-Star caliber player—an expectation that was placed on him as the number 2 draft pick by the Lakers.

His trajectory shifted dramatically with the Bulls in 2021-22, suffering a left knee meniscus tear and bone bruise that led to three surgeries—a meniscus repair, arthroscopic debridement, and cartilage transplant in March 2023—causing him to miss over 1,000 days (entire 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons).

LaMelo, the No. 3 pick in 2020, mirrors Lonzo’s ankle vulnerability—recurrent sprains and fractures that risk chronic instability, similar to Lonzo’s escalating knee degeneration from initial tears.

Without aggressive management, LaMelo could face a similar slide from franchise cornerstone to rotation player.

With their game against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday looming and the team already missing several key backcourt players, head coach Charles Lee will have to make significant adjustments.

Charlotte Hornets’ Young Core Closes It Against Toronto Raptors Without LaMelo Ball

After two straight losses and missing key backcourt depth, the Charlotte Hornets took another brutal hit with LaMelo Ball being forced to exit in the third quarter. And early on, it seemed that the offensive issues that had plagued them resurfaced again.

The team was stuck under 20 first-quarter points, but suddenly, everything turned around.

The Hornets exploded in the second quarter: 35 points, flipping the deficit to 11 in their advantage at the half, and continuing a trend which has them averaging 33.8 second-quarter points over their last five games, leading the NBA across this stretch.

In the final quarter, the young faces on the roster closed it out. A 31-10 fourth-quarter run led by Kon Knueppel and Tidjane Salaun, including a career-high 21, including 13 in the fourth, from the sophomore forward, marking his third-straight double-digit scoring game since his return from a G-League assignment.

Knueppel added eight of his own in the final frame, and the game quickly spiraled out of reach for the opposing Raptors.

Now, despite Ball missing, there is some hope that the youth that won the game today will still look promising against the contending Denver Nuggets.