Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams will miss training camp and the start of the preseason with a strained tendon in his left foot, the team announced Friday.
Williams suffered the injury in training on Thursday. He will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
The 15th overall pick out of Duke in the 2022 NBA draft, Williams averaged 12.7 points and 9.7 rebounds in just 19 games last season. He did not play after December 8 due to a back injury.
When healthy, Williams is expected to be the starting center in Charlotte for new coach Charles Lee, who was hired this summer after helping the Boston Celtics win the NBA title. It’s also the first full season for new executive vice president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson, who the team hired in March after he spent the previous four-plus seasons with the Brooklyn Nets.
Both moves were the first significant changes by the new ownership group led by Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin, who bought the Hornets from Michael Jordan last August.
