Charlotte Hornets guard Coby White has received a major ranking as he recovers from a calf injury.
When the Charlotte Hornets acquired Coby White in a trade with the Chicago Bulls just before the NBA trade deadline, it didn't seem like they understood the severity of his calf injury.
White has played in 29 games this season and last appeared in a contest on Feb. 3, just before the Hornets landed him. But he has been sidelined ever since, and head coach Charles Lee said there is no real timeline for his return.
Perhaps Charlotte is just being cautious with the high-octane guard, but it's a bit strange, nonetheless.
Regardless, Bleacher Report's NBA staff recently ranked the top 99 players in the league this season, and White came in at No. 88.
"Nothing underscores Coby White's value better than impressions of his trade to the Charlotte Hornets," wrote B/R's Dan Favale. "He has yet to make his Buzz City debut, but nobody's worried about him fitting in. His offense is infinitely malleable, able to be deployed in all different forms: on the ball or off the ball, as a microwave scorer and secondary facilitator, specializing in tough-to-contest jumpers or shot creation around the rim."
Coby White. Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images.White is averaging 18.6 points, 4.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds over 29.1 minutes on 43.8/34.6/80.5 shooting splits this season. Last year, he registered 20.4 points per game while managing a true-shooting percentage of 60.1 percent.
It appears pretty evident that White has been inhibited by his calf issue even when he has been on the floor this year, so his numbers may see an uptick once he gets healthy.
Of course, that's assuming he does actually reach 100 percent health at any point during the 2025-26 campaign.
There are now less than two months remaining in the regular season, so White is running out of time to get himself right and make his Hornets debut.
And did I mention that the 25-year-old is slated to hit free agency this summer?
Charlotte surely planned on re-signing White when it acquired him, but it's going to be tough for the Hornets to make a decision if he isn't able to play for them this year.
Hopefully, White is able to get back on the hardwood soon so Charlotte can determine whether or not he is a long-term fit.
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