Charlotte Hornets Injury Report: Latest update on LaMelo Ball's return and Miles Bridges' suspension

The Charlotte Hornets begin their season with a home game against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, Oct. 25. Charlotte will be without Miles Bridges, as he continues to serve his suspension. However, LaMelo Ball should be back after his injury battles.

Ball missed the final 19 games of last season with a fractured ankle. But he was practicing during training camp and should be ready to go for Game 1.

Ball played in four preseason games for Charlotte, averaging 15.2 points per game during the exhibition matchups. He shot between 36 and 43 percent in each game.

The Hornets have not reported if Ball will face a minutes restriction, but he seems to be healthy and ready to go for Charlotte in its opener. The Hornets will need him against Trae Young of the Hawks.

Ball played well before his injury last season. He averaged 23.3 points per game in 36 games when he was healthy and will look to take another step up this season.

Charlotte’s guard depth already took a blow in training camp. James Bouknight and Frank Ntilikina are both out until November with knee injuries. Cody Martin will be a game-time decision with knee issues as well.

Charlotte Hornets: Miles Bridges suspension

In April, Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges was suspended by the NBA for 30 games after missing all of last season. The NBA determined he served 20 games already due to missing last year, so Bridges will be out for the first 10 games of the 2023-24 season.

Bridges was suspended after an alleged domestic violence incident with the mother of his children. The incident occurred in June 2022. He was arrested and charged with multiple domestic violence charges, but he pled no contest.

In the plea deal, Bridges received three years of probation and avoided jail time. He was sentenced to 52 weeks of counseling and 100 hours of community service, and also served a one-year protective order.

The Charlotte Hornets signed Bridges to a one-year qualifying offer this offseason worth $7.9 million. He was a restricted free agent this offseason and did not gain a lot of interest in the market, but Charlotte will hope bringing him back pays off.