Charlotte Hornets DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (calf) is dealing with a left calf strain and has been ruled out of Friday's game against the Chicago Bulls. This will be the seventh consecutive game that he's missed after suffering the calf strain against the Miami Heat near the end of November. Since Tre Mann (back) is also sidelined, Vasilije Micic has become a starter with Josh Green while Isaiah Wong has seen some time off of the bench. Micic has been the most reliable streaming option of the three as he's averaged 12.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 2.2 threes per game across his six starts.

Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams (foot) will make his season debut against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday. This will be the first time that Williams has played since December of 2023. Fantasy managers should expect Williams to be under heavy minute restriction. He figures to be eased into action for quite some time, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect Williams to be a great fantasy option right away. He figures to split up the center minutes with Nick Richards. For now, Richards is the better streaming option, but Williams should be a strong option once he's back up to full speed.

Hornets center Mark Williams (foot) has missed the first 20 games of the season, but he was listed as questionable for Tuesday's game with the 76ers. Williams has not played in an NBA game since December 8 of last year when a back injury cut short his second NBA season. In his 19 games before the injury, Williams averaged 12.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 26.7 minutes per game. He rehabbed his back but picked up a foot injury in training camp that has kept him sidelined. He can be excellent when healthy at full strength, but he'll likely be playing severely limited minutes after such a long layoff.

Hornets guard Tre Mann (back) will miss his sixth straight game on Tuesday when the Hornets face the Sixers in Charlotte. With both Mann and LaMelo Ball (calf) out at least two weeks, the Hornets will rely on Vasilije Micic to run point and Brandon Miller to pick up heavy usage. Micic has started the last two games for the Hornets, both narrow defeats. In his first start, he had nine points and eight assists in 31 minutes against the Knicks, and he followed that with 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists against the Hawks. Micic is a solid play for as long as Mann and Ball are sidelined.

Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann got off to a fast start this season, averaging 14.1 points, 3.0 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.5 per game while playing 24.5 minutes per game. He was starting to even get some Sixth Man of the Year attention and would be in a great position to step up while LaMelo Ball (calf) is sidelined for two weeks. However, that won't be possible since Mann was diagnosed with "disc irritation" in his lower back and will also miss at least two more weeks. With both Mann and Ball out for a while, Vasilije Micic will likely continue to start at point guard for Charlotte for the next few weeks and is a nice addition from the waiver wire if available. Mann is a hold if possible given his early-season success, but he may be out too long to stash depending on the size and competitiveness of your league.