Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams is expected to miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn right ACL and damage to other parts of that knee during Saturday’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, a league source confirmed Sunday.
The 25-year-old is averaging 10.4 points — the second-highest mark of his career — along with 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists through 16 games this season.
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Williams suffered the injury with under four minutes to go in the fourth quarter of the 125-119 loss to Milwaukee, a game that saw teammate LaMelo Ball score a career-high 50 points.
The Hornets are 6-10 this season and have been dealing with a slew of injuries. Centers Mark Williams and Nick Richards remain out with injuries but are progressing in their rehab, the team announced Thursday. Forward Miles Bridges is dealing with a right knee injury and will be re-evaluated this week.
Williams joined the Hornets in a February trade from the Dallas Mavericks. He spent the first four seasons of his career with the Boston Celtics.
What this means for the Hornets
This is the first significant injury for Williams, who has been durable for one of the most physical players in the league. He is one of the veteran leaders on a team trying to build an identity under a new coach and front office, so losing him on the floor will hurt the team defensively more than anything. With Mark Williams still out since a preseason foot injury, Grant Williams has been one of the few established defensive leaders on the floor for the league’s 22nd-ranked defense.
Williams is in for a significant rehab ahead of him, particularly as a bulky player. He is only in the second year of a four-year, $54 million deal, giving him time to return to form before he can hit free agency again in 2027.
Charlotte selected stretch big Tidjane Salaun with the sixth overall pick in this summer’s draft and signed longtime veteran Taj Gibson, so the Hornets have pieces in place to fill Williams’ now-vacated minutes in the rotation. This team entered the season hoping to make a run at a Play-In spot, but injuries have derailed most of their progress. Most of the roster is expected to get healthy sooner rather than later, but they will have to move on without Williams for the season. — Jared Weiss, NBA writer
Required reading
- Each NBA team’s biggest concern a month into the 2024-25 regular season
- Hornets’ LaMelo Ball scores career-high 50 points in loss to Bucks
- Can LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Hornets finally find their identity?
(Photo: David Jensen / Getty Images)