Hornets’ Christian Anderson Jr. returns from left ankle sprain, scores 10 in preseason debut at Boston

Charlotte Hornets rookie guard Christian Anderson Jr. returned from a left ankle sprain Wednesday and made his preseason debut in a 114-93 loss at the Boston Celtics, finishing with 10 points in 21 minutes off the bench.

INJURY UPDATE: @hornets rookie guard Christian Anderson Jr (L Ankle) will return to the lineup tonight at BOS and make his preseason debut.

— Charlotte Hornets PR (@HornetsPR) October 14, 2026

Hornets PR cleared Anderson before tip-off, saying the first-rounder would return to the lineup and debut against Boston after missing Charlotte’s earlier exhibitions with the ankle issue. He had been ruled out of the October 11 game against Milwaukee with a left ankle sprain and did not appear in the October 6 opener against Brooklyn.

Solid first look in 21 minutes

Anderson scored 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including 2-of-3 from three, with one rebound, one assist and two steals. Nick Carboni noted the 10-point debut after the game, and the minutes total signaled no hard restriction once he checked in. Brandon Miller and Tidjane Salaün each scored 16 for Charlotte in a night defined by 30 turnovers.

Why the return matters

Anderson was the 18th overall pick in June out of Texas Tech, where he averaged 18.5 points and 7.4 assists as a sophomore. Missing the start of camp and the first preseason games slowed his push for a rotation role behind veterans. With Coby White still dealing with a calf injury, those backup point-guard minutes are open for the final stretch of exhibitions.

Charlotte has one preseason game left, Friday at Memphis, before the regular-season opener. Anderson’s clean debut gives the Hornets a full look at their first-rounder with a week still to go before Opening Night.