Charlotte Hornets lose another key player to injury
Another week, another injury for the Charlotte Hornets to deal with.
PJ Washington has been diagnosed with a hyper-extended left elbow and is out for at least the next two games, the team announced Friday. Washington will miss the Hornets’ Friday night matchup against Sacramento and also Sunday’s game in Los Angeles against the Clippers.
Washington will be reevaluated in Southern California early next week.
“He’s doing OK,” coach James Borrego said Friday. “He’s in good spirits. We’ll know more in the next two days. He’ll get further evaluated by a specialist in the next day or two, probably on Monday and we’ll know more at that time. We’re not going to jump to conclusions yet. We’ll see what comes out of that and make a plan from there.
“But obviously, (Friday night we) miss him. He’s played well here. Last time we were here he had a heck of a game. So other people have to step up and we have those bodies.”
Washington got tangled up with Otto Porter Jr. underneath the basket on a play in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s loss to Golden State and immediately collapsed writhing in pain. He left the game and didn’t return.
Coming off the bench as a key reserve, Washington is averaging nine points and 4.4 rebounds per game, shooting 36.4% from 3-point territory and 48.1% overall. His absence could mean more time for second-year big man Nick Richards.
Richards filled in nicely in the rotation when Washington missed two games earlier this season with knee soreness and could be called upon for the remainder of their five-game trip. Richard’s best output was a seven-point, three-rebound effort in their overtime loss to Boston.
Kai Jones could also potentially see his first meaningful minutes soon, depending on various factors like flow of the game and what’s happening with the others in front of him in the rotation.
“I probably have him slotted more at the ‘5’ right now,” Borrego said. “Nick Richards is right there with him. At some point, I’m going to have to make a decision on one or the other. It’s not a secret. We’ve played Nick ahead of him in general this season and I trust Nick. He’s played well.
“You look back to the Boston game and one other game he played extremely well. So Nick’s ready to go. Kai, you never know. Foul trouble. There’s other situations that could happen that may present itself. Kai’s just got to be ready and he is.”
This story was originally published November 5, 2021 at 5:56 PM with the headline "Charlotte Hornets lose another key player to injury."
