Carmello Ball looking at ankle braces

LaMelo Ball is once again contemplating wearing ankle braces if it means staying on the court.

Ball has been limited to 58 games the past two seasons because of ankle issues and hasn’t played for the Charlotte Hornets since Jan. 26. The 2022 AllStar point guard knows that needs to change.

“I’m going to see over the summer, try some stuff,” Ball said of the protective braces.

He said if he can find something that feels good “we can go from there.”

Ball started wearing ankle braces in practice before the season after three separate ankle injuries in 2022-23 sidelined him for long stretches and ultimately resulted in surgery. But he could never find anything he was completely comfortable with on his feet.

The ankle is feeling better now and Ball is looking forward to finally being healthy this summer and working on his game.

“My favorite thing to do is play basketball and to not be able to do it is just horrible,” Ball said. “That fact that I got this summer (to be healthy), I’m going to take it and get it as strong I can to get out there and play.”

Ball, who is only 22, signed a rookie max contract extension last summer that will pay him up to $260 million over the next five seasons.

When healthy, he was dynamite this season averaging 23.9 points, eight assists and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 36% from beyond the arc.

The Hornets believe if they can keep Ball on the court and pair him with three-time NBA rookie of the month Brandon Miller they can break their eight-year playoff drought, the longest in the NBA.

“He makes our team go,” Hornets center Nick Richards said.