The Charlotte Hornets have been involved in plenty of turmoil recently. For starters, they've lost seven of their last eight games including their most recent defeat to the Indiana Pacers, one of the leagues weakest teams. Additionally, rumors have surrounded LaMelo Ball as NBA insiders and analysts have speculated about his future with the Hornets.
Throughout Charlotte's 4-11 season thus far, injuries have been one of the main concerns. Ball has missed six games due to injury, while former No. 2 overall selection Brandon Miller has missed the last 13 games due to a shoulder injury.
Luckily for Charlotte, their poor injury luck seems to be turning around. Miller has been cleared to return to the lineup for Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers. This will begin a nice homestand for Charlotte who will be at the Spectrum Center for four out of their next five games. It will also provide an opportunity for Charlotte to see what they have with their young core, with Miller and Ball finally available to be paired with standout rookies Kon Knueppel and Ryan Kalkbrenner.
On the flip side, it will be Los Angeles who will enter the matchup shorthanded. They'll be without Bradley Beal who has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a hip fracture. Kawhi Leonard, Derrick Jones Jr. And Jordan Miller have also been ruled out, tipping the scales in Charlotte's favor. That said, they'll still have to defend James Harden, one of the most dominant scorers in the past decade.
After that, the Hornets will travel to Atlanta to take on the Hawks on Sunday before returning home for the next three games over the holiday weekend.
More Hornets news:
- Is Kon Knueppel emerging as the new face of the Hornets?
- Kon Knueppel reaches multiple milestones in Charlotte's loss vs. Indiana
- Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel nearing Larry Bird-level efficiency
- Hornets turn frontcourt question mark into early season advantage
- Hometown hero: Kon Knueppel scores career-high 32 in Milwaukee return