Fantasy Basketball Impact Of LaMelo Ball's Injury
Ishan breaks down the fantasy basketball impacts of LaMelo Ball's ankle injury for Ball himself and his Charlotte teammates, including Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, Miles Bridges, and Nick Smith Jr.
As always, fantasy basketball owners are encountering plenty of injuries, late scratches, and players out in the first few weeks. One of the most significant absences is Charlotte point guard LaMelo Ball, who suffered a serious ankle injury. How do you bounce back from losing an early pick for months to a severe ankle sprain? How much is one of the biggest fantasy players worth when he is guaranteed to miss a huge chunk of the season? And who should you target from the Hornets who stands to benefit from his absence? Let's break it all down.
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Fantasy Basketball Breakdown Of LaMelo Ball's Injury
The Value of LaMelo Ball
LaMelo Ball was emerging as a top-10 fantasy option to start the season. Including the game in which he was injured after just seven points, Ball was averaging 24.7 points, 38.8% from 3, 44.3% from the field, 5.5 rebounds. 8.2 assists, and 1.4 steals. A 37-point performance against Milwaukee, a 36-point performance vs. the Celtics, 28 and 11 vs. Miami, and plenty of insane highlights along the way had started to solidify LaMelo Ball’s place as a fantasy star. Now that he is down with a severe ankle injury, we must navigate the landscape accordingly. LaMelo is a player you will have to hold onto; he can win you a championship at the end of the season, assuming this serious ankle sprain does not hold him out all year.
One thing we have to understand about Charlotte is that they want to keep their pick. Their pick is currently top 14 protected going to the New York Knicks, and will automatically defer to the Knicks in 2025 due to the Kai Jones trade a few years ago. It would benefit the Hornets to keep trying to win to make the playoffs and develop the roster they have, but with LaMelo being out, Charlotte is sure to lose some games even with Terry Rozier, Brandon Miller, Gordon Hayward, Miles Bridges, and Mark Williams on the team. Every NBA Draft class these days is loaded. Getting a top pick next year, even if it means missing out on the class of Cooper Flagg in 2025, can help change the future of Charlotte. It will be important to watch the timetable of LaMelo Ball, replace him as well as you can, and invest in guys filling in for him. If they do decide to tank for Alex Sarr, Stephon Castle, Isaiah Collier, Ron Holland, Matas Buzelis, or any other member of the 2024 class, it will be time to move off of LaMelo Ball in fantasy this season. As soon as the Hornets set their sights on 2024, they have absolutely no reason to rush Ball back onto the court.
Fantasy Impact Of LaMelo's Injury On The Rest Of The Hornets
Terry Rozier
One of the players most impacted by LaMelo's injury is Terry Rozier. Invest now while you can; trade him before he gets traded at the deadline. Terry Rozier dropped 37 in a Charlotte win with LaMelo out. He is poised to be their top option as long as Ball is sidelined. If you haven’t snagged him already, he is a top trade target in all Redraft leagues. It is important to note Rozier is 28 and has three years and $60 million left on his deal, so he could be better suited on a different team by the deadline. If you roster him, pay closer attention to rumors than anyone else does, and look to trade him at that point. His upside on a different team as not the top option will be much lower.
Gordon Hayward & Miles Bridges
Gordon Hayward's stock is going up in fantasy along with Miles Bridges. But those two are even more likely to be moved than Rozier due to their expiring deals. With Charlotte’s expressed interest in moving on from the old and in with the new, both of these guys could easily find themselves in more limited roles with playoff contenders by the deadline.
Deeper leagues can already invest in Nick Smith Jr., but the second players start getting moved is when fantasy managers will have to snag him as fast as possible in all formats. The late first-round pick out of Arkansas is poised to play a lot once this season becomes lost for Charlotte. Him being the only other young point guard on the roster could leave him with a boatload of minutes towards the end of the season. If Charlotte reaches a situation where LaMelo Ball is still out and Rozier, Hayward, and Bridges are all gone, Smith will have the keys to the team and be a very valuable fantasy option.
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