The Charlotte Hornets will be shorthanded for Friday’s NBA Cup game against the New York Knicks.

Charlotte announced LaMelo Ball will be sidelined because of left calf soreness, making him one of a number of players who will not take the court:

It remains to be seen exactly how long Ball will be out, as the Hornets also announced he suffered the injury late during Wednesday’s loss to the Miami Heat and will be evaluated with further updates to come in the near future.

It’s surely not what Charlotte wants to hear, as the team is just 4-10 in the last 14 games and has looked like one of the worst in the league in the early going of the 2024-25 campaign.

Ball has been a bright spot, though, and is averaging 31.1 points, 6.9 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 43 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from deep. His career high for scoring in a season is 23.9 points per game, so he has been far more effective as a scorer this season.

Even if this ends up being a lost season for the Hornets as a whole, it is important that the 23-year-old Ball continues developing as a franchise cornerstone. He is their best bet to become competitive in the Eastern Conference in the near future, and the early returns this season have been nothing but positive.

However, Charlotte will need to find a way to replicate his production against the Knicks.

Look for Vasilije Micic and Nick Smith Jr. to see more playing time while Ball is sidelined.