Breaking News: The Charlotte Hornets’ Training Camp Commencement is Far From Optimal Due to a Significant Injury to a Key Player.

The Charlotte Hornets’ promising young center is off to another tough start as the new season approaches.

With NBA training camps starting, there’s excitement about the 2024-25 season, especially for teams like the Hornets, who are developing a strong young core. However, despite the optimism, there’s growing concern for one of their key players, Mark Williams.

Williams, who has shown great potential, is sidelined with a strained tendon in his foot. He’s set to be re-evaluated in two weeks but will miss both training camp and the beginning of the preseason—a disappointing development.

Now entering his third season, big things are expected from Williams. However, injuries have been a persistent issue throughout his career, and starting his third season with another injury setback is concerning for his outlook.

Williams has struggled with injuries since the start of his career. Over the last two seasons, he’s missed a total of 102 games—some due to being in and out of the rotation as a rookie, but mostly because of a lingering back injury that kept him out for nearly all of last season. It’s especially unfortunate since he had a strong start to last year, averaging 13 points and 10 rebounds in the 19 games he played.

The hope is that Williams can finally overcome his injury troubles and establish himself as the Hornets’ long-term solution at center. However, as injuries continue to plague him, it becomes harder for the team to count on him.

While there aren’t heavy expectations on the Hornets this season, Williams’ preseason injury is a setback that complicates their efforts to take a step forward this year.