The Charlotte Hornets are off to a 3-5 start to open the 2024-25 season. In an Eastern Conference that has just two teams with winning records at the moment, that sub-.500 record has Charlotte currently in a Play-In Tournament position (albeit very early into the season). The Hornets already have injury woes when it comes to their frontcourt though early on. Miles Bridges can now be added to their injury report, further weakening their frontcourt depth chart just eight games into the season.
Hornets Frontcourt Further Compromised With Latest Injury News
Miles Bridges Suffered Injury On Wednesday
The 26-year-old Bridges had his best game of the young season in Charlotte’s most recent outing. On Wednesday, they defeated the Detroit Pistons to move to within two games of .500. In the win, Bridges finished with 27 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. He scored quite efficiently as well shooting 8-14 from the field, 2-3 from beyond the arc, and 9-9 from the foul line. The team was a +6 with Bridges on the court, the first time since opening night that he finished with a positive plus/minus.
The Hornets were certainly hoping that Bridges could build off his excellent outing. They will have to now wait a while to see if the 6-foot-7 forward will be able to do so. Charlotte has announced that Bridges hyperextended his right knee late in the fourth quarter in Wednesday’s win. The MRI revealed a bone bruise, and he will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
It is a tough break for Bridges and the Hornets. The team is already without starting center Mark Williams, who has yet to play thus far in the season. The player starting in his place, Nick Richards, suffered a rib cartilage fracture on November 1. The next update for Richards will be after the Hornets road trip ends on November 17. The 39-year-old Taj Gibson has been thrust into the starting lineup in their place.
Bridges Was Off To A Slow Start To Begin Season
An unrestricted free agent during the offseason, the Hornets agreed to bring Bridges back on a three-year, $75 million deal. This is now his sixth season in the league, all coming with Charlotte (not counting 2022-23 where he sat out the whole season due to off-the-court troubles).
Prior to the Detroit game, Bridges had mostly been struggling through the Hornets first seven games. He was averaging just 12.9 points entering Wednesday with some woeful shooting numbers (36.4% from the field, 23.8% from three-point range).
It was last season where Bridges put up career-high averages of 21.0 points and 7.3 rebounds. With LaMelo Ball only playing 22 games, Bridges and then-rookie Brandon Miller became the go-to scorers on a Charlotte club that was never near contending for the playoffs, finishing with a 21-61 record. It was the second time Bridges averaged more than 20 points an outing (20.2 in 2021-22).
With the news that Bridges will be re-evaluated in two weeks, he will miss at least the next six contests. Charlotte next plays Friday at home against the Indiana Pacers. Cody Martin and Grant Williams are two options to replace Bridges in the starting lineup.
