Charlotte Hornets DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (wrist) popped up on the injury report as questionable for Friday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers. He's dealing with a right wrist sprain at the moment and could come down to a game-time decision. Through 40 games, the Hornets are just 11-29, so they could opt to go the cautious route given Ball's injury history so far. If he doesn't suit up, Nick Smith Jr. and Vasilije Micic are both solid streaming options. The former has averaged 11.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.4 threes per contest over the last seven games when he started to receive regular playing time.

Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams (knee) is available ahead of Friday's game against the Chicago Bulls. As expected, Williams is ready to go after being listed as probable on the injury report. Williams has been playing some excellent basketball recently with two straight double doubles coming into Friday's contest. He finished with 31 points and 13 rebounds during his last game and really has no competition at the center spot. Fantasy managers should make sure to get Williams back into their lineups for Friday's slate.

Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams (knee) is probable for Friday's matchup with the Bulls. The 22-year-old missed the first 20 games of the 2024-25 campaign because of various ailments. However, he's only missed two games since his return. Not only that, but Williams is having the best year of his career, averaging 14.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. Of course, anything can happen regarding his availability. But with Nick Richards now in Phoenix, Taj Gibson, averaging only 3.1 points and 4.3 rebounds in eight starts this season, will likely take over at the five if Williams can't suit up.

The Hornets acquired forward Josh Okogie from the Suns on Wednesday night. In exchange, Phoenix will receive center Nick Richards. Okogie has averaged only 6.0 points and 2.9 rebounds this season. But he'll at least bring his defensive prowess with him to a Hornets squad that has allowed 112.4 points per game during the 2024-25 campaign. With that in mind, unless there is an injury in the starting lineup, Okogie likely won't have much value for fantasy managers.

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (ankle/wrist) will be able to play on Sunday night as his Hornets hit the road to face the Cavaliers. Ball has missed the last three games for the Hornets but will be able to return after initially being listed as questionable. Brandon Miller (ankle) is also available, so the Hornets will have their key scorers in place for this tough road matchup. Ball has been excellent when available this season, averaging 30.1 points, 7.4 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 33.4 minutes per game. He leads the NBA with a 37.6% usage rate, and he brings a high ceiling any time he's on the floor.