Stop me if you’ve heard this before… the Charlotte Hornets are set to be without LaMelo Ball tonight against the Miami Heat. After initially being listed as questionable for tonight’s game in South Beach, the team announced moments ago that he has been downgraded to doubtful as he continues to nurse an injured ankle.
Assuming Ball does not suit up tonight, it will mark the third straight game that he’s missed with this ankle impingement situation, which is starting to become a bit worrisome, given his history with ankle injuries.
“The goal is always … to put all of our players in the best position to be available for as many games as possible,” Lee said ahead of the team’s game in New Orleans earlier in the week. “(LaMelo) went through a shootaround today. You know, he isn’t going to be able to go tonight, obviously, but we’ll just continue to evaluate him every day. And he’s a little bit better today, I think, than he was yesterday, and hopefully that trend continues.”
The Hornets are already without Brandon Miller and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. If this turns into a long-term thing for Ball, the Hornets will be rotting in another wasted year of this never-ending rebuild.
To make matters worse, the Hornets have also downgraded Collin Sexton (neck strain) from probable to doubtful. In eight games this season, Sexton has been a critical piece to the Hornets’ offensive success, averaging 16.1 points, 5.3 assists, and 2.3 rebounds per game while shooting 51% from the floor and 44% from three-point land.
Nov 2, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann (23) handles the ball against the Utah Jazz during the first quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
For the Hornets to have any shot at taking down the Heat without Ball and Sexton, they’re going to need Tre Mann and rookie Kon Knueppel to really step up and take on a bigger role scoring it. Mann began the year extremely rusty, but has since turned things around, scoring 16, 13, and 18 in his last three outings. Knueppel, on the other hand, has been consistent since opening night, averaging 14.8 points per game and has hit three or more threes in six of the eight games he’s played this season.
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