Mark Williams is the latest to join the Hornets’ walking wounded: ‘Hopefully, it won’t be serious’

Most of the juice has been zapped out of the Charlotte Hornets in the wake of LaMelo Ball’s season-ending ankle surgery, leaving many fans in countdown mode for the final games to get crossed off the calendar.

It’s hard for the Hornets to drum up a whole lot of excitement at this juncture considering they are speeding toward yet another fruitless campaign devoid of a playoff appearance, a drought that’s creeping up on half a dozen years. But look closely enough – albeit it with a lens boasting the power of the Hubble Space Telescope – and subtle, small things are worth keeping a watchful eye on over this final month.

The development of Mark Williams is one of them, but even that is now up in the air after the Hornets’ latest frustrating injury. The rookie center sprained his right thumb and sat out the second half of Thursday night’s 113-103 win against Detroit at Little Caesars Arena.

Initially, Williams exited in the first half but returned in the second quarter. The extent of the severity of his ailment is unknown and it’s unclear if he’ll add to the 198 games missed by the Hornets due to injury this season, which ranks as fifth-most in the NBA.

“Hopefully it won’t be serious,” coach Steve Clifford said. “He tried to go back out there and play when we came back out to the court (after halftime) and it was just so sore you could see he couldn’t really catch the ball. Hopefully, it won’t be something that’s lasting.

“It’s unfortunate. And that’s why all we can do is hope that it’s something that won’t cost him a number of games.”

Before being sidelined, Williams had just two points and four rebounds in 11 minutes against the Pistons, one of the teams vying with the Hornets (22-46) for the top overall pick in the June draft. And although Williams cooled off a bit and had his career-best double-double streak snapped in the Hornets’ loss to Orlando a week ago, he had been holding his own since entering the starting lineup last month in the aftermath of the Mason Plumlee trade.

For more than a few painstaking years now, the Hornets have mined for somebody to serve as a threat on the interior. Someone to be an intimidator. A person who can flush a filthy throwdown on one side of the court and look like a volleyball player on the opposite end, emphatically rejecting a shot into the stands and getting a rise out of the spectators.

If the early returns are to be believed, the franchise’s search for a capable center to plug in the middle can finally be called off. As long as Williams is healthy. His season-long numbers are modest – 8.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game – but he brings something the Hornets have lacked.

“Our defense has changed since going bigger,” Clifford said. “We were terrible the first half the other night in Brooklyn, but he was very good and he missed some shots that he’ll normally make. But I think coming in the summer, he was viewed as a rim protector and a defensive rebounder, and he was much needed. He’s a much more instinctive offensive player with a natural skill base, but as he gets more comfortable and understands everything with the pick-and-roll coverages, he’s going to be (tough in) the paint.”

PJ Washington has noticed some pretty good traits within the rookie.

“Just him picking up on stuff as fast as he does, being able to be an outside defender,” Washington said, “block a bunch of shots, rebound the ball at a very high level, protect the paint. And then on offense doing his thing, hitting his little jump hook, just being who he is. So, I’m proud of him and I’m glad he’s growing.”

Although Williams’ absence opened the door for Nick Richards, who posted 10 points and 13 rebounds, and Kai Jones to receive more time at center against Detroit, knowing Williams could be derailed for a bit is a bummer. There’s no way to sugarcoat the Hornets’ incredible stretch of bad luck.

“It sucks,” Washington said. “Obviously, we’ve been dealing with all the injuries this season. But I hope he’s doing good, I hope the best for him. But credit to our guys for coming in and being ready to play, especially Nick. He did a great job ... and Kai as well. I’m just glad those guys were able to come in and shine in the absence of Mark.”