Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball is emulating a legendary colleague as he looks to put together a healthy 2024-25 season.

ESPN’s Tim Bontemps reported that the 23-year-old, like Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry, is wearing ankle braces in hopes of avoiding injuries that have blighted his last two seasons.

“It’s a great year for Ball, who has played just 59 games since his breakthrough All-Star season in 2021-22,” Bontemps wrote. “To combat that, Ball has taken the Stephen Curry approach to his crooked ankles, sources said, wearing strong braces to avoid having the same injury problems that have punctuated each of his last two seasons.”

Ball averaged 20.1 points, 7.6 assists and 6.7 rebounds in 75 games during the 2021-22 season. He played 36 games in the 2022/23 season and only 22 games in the 2023/24 season. So if Ball and the Hornets were to play almost a full season again this season, it would be a huge boost.

He got off to a hot start in Wednesday’s season opener against the Houston Rockets. He scored 34 points with 11 assists and eight rebounds in 38 minutes in Charlotte’s 110-105 win.

More performances like this could play a major role in getting Charlotte to the postseason for the first time since 2015-16. With Curry having played at least 60 games in 11 of his 16 NBA seasons, it looks like Ball is taking a good approach to his physical health.