Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during Saturday’s 125-119 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks and will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season. reports Chris Haynes.
Williams suffered the injury during the fourth quarter when he planted his right leg while driving to the basket and fell to the ground. He then tried to walk to the bench, but was clearly hampered and needed help off the field. An MRI examination revealed the tear.
The Charlotte native was in his second season with the Hornets after being acquired from the Dallas Mavericks. In 16 games this season (seven starts). Williams averaged 10.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.1 steals and 30 minutes. He also shot 37% on three-pointers.
During his six NBA seasons, Williams averaged 7.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 38% on 3s as a relatively undersized big man for the Boston Celtics, Mavericks and Hornets. He was Boston’s first-round pick (No. 22 overall) out of Tennessee in the 2019 NBA Draft.
It is expected that Tidjane Salaün and Moussa Diabate will use most of Williams’ minutes as a power forward for the rest of the season.
Appreciate all the love and support from those who have reached out. Time to get to work, that’s all we can do🤙🏽
— Grant Williams (@Grant2Will) November 24, 2024
Williams’ injury is the latest of several the Hornets have dealt with in their frontcourt. Centers Mark Williams (foot injury) and Nick Richards (broken rib) have played little this season, while Miles Bridges missed two weeks with a bone bruise in his right knee.
Those injuries contributed to Charlotte’s 6–10 start, which ranked them 11th in the Eastern Conference and fourth in the Southeast Division. Young stars LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller are combining to score nearly 50 points per game in the backcourt.
