Hornets Unleash Secret Weapon Averaging 21.4 PPG

The Charlotte Hornets are currently dealing with a ton of injuries to key players including star LaMelo Ball. In order to help alleviate some of their rotation issues due to injury, the Hornets added help this week to their roster in the form of Isaiah Wong, as per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

In a related move, the Hornets waived Jared Rhoden who had been on a two-way contract, as per Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Wong joins second-year big man Moussa Diabate and rookie guard KJ Simpson as the three players currently occupying the team’s available two-way contract spots.

Rhoden was one of the Hornets’ players who had been sidelined due to injury. In addition to Ball and Rhoden, the team is also without Grant Williams (ACL), Miles Bridges (right knee), DaQuan Jeffries (hand), Tre Mann (disc) and Mark Williams (left foot). In Grant Williams’ case, he is out for the remainder of the season.

Nick Richards, who had been dealing with a rib injury, made his return to the lineup on Saturday during the Hornets’ game against the Chicago Bulls.

Isaiah Wong joins Hornets’ roster

This is Isaiah Wong’s second year in the NBA. He began this season in the G League playing for the Salt Lake City Stars after he was cut by the Utah Jazz during training camp.

Wong was originally selected with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers signed him to a two-way contract and he spent the 2023-24 season shuffling between the Pacers and their G League affiliate, the Indiana Mad Ants.

Wong appeared in only one game for the Pacers as a rookie. It was towards the end of the 2023-24 season against the Brooklyn Nets on Apr. 1. He finished with two points while shooting 1-of-3 from the field in a little over four minutes of play. Wong also played during the Pacers’ NBA Cup loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, but since that was not an official regular season game, his stats didn’t count towards his NBA career.

Prior to signing with the Hornets, Wong had appeared in seven games for Salt Lake at a little over 31 minutes per game. He had been averaging 26.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals with splits of 47.2 percent shooting from the field, 42.1 percent shooting from the three-point line and 86.1 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

The former Miami Hurricanes star is a decent scorer with the ball in his hands and he has a little playmaking to his game as well. He’ll get his shot to contribute right away amid the Hornets’ injury woes.