CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As the Hornets enter an important stretch, injured starter Gordon Hayward provided an update on his possible return from injury.
Hayward suffered an ankle injury against Toronto on Feb. 7 after getting tangled with a Raptors player. He has missed the 14 games since.
"His whole body weight goes on me," Hayward said. "There's not much I can do in that situation. It's very unfortunate."
Hayward, speaking to the media on Wednesday, said he has "ramped up" basketball workouts this week and hopes to take part in contact drills next week.
"It's hard to tell exactly how it's going to respond but we're working around the clock so I can get back as soon as possible," he said.
Before the injury, Hayward started 48 games, averaging 16.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per contest.
"Hopefully I'll be out there sooner rather than later," Hayward said.
Hayward, a former NBA All-Star, has a history of injuries.
In his first season with the Hornets (2020-21) he missed the final 25 games due to injury.
"Those types of plays happen in basketball as I'm all too accustomed to," he said. "It's just unlucky, I'd say."
In 2017 he was injured in his very first game with the Boston Celtics and missed the remainder of the season.
Charlotte (34-35) has 13 games remaining, starting Wednesday at home against Atlanta.
Including its contest against the Hawks, the Hornets have five-straight games at home in the next ten days.
Contact Nick Carboni at ncarboni@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.