LaMelo Ball did not have the best performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. The Charlotte Hornets lost the game 94-87, with Ball only playing 22 minutes. During his stint, he had a plus-minus of -16, which is not a good look.
Despite this lackluster performance, Hornets head coach Charles Lee made sure to praise Ball for working hard in other areas of the court. He is the team's superstar, so highlighting his contributions should not be an issue.
Lee wants people to appreciate Ball's hard work
Ball only scored two points the entire game, but he made sure to make an impact elsewhere. He knew he was having a lackluster night, so contributing with five rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and a block made up for it a bit.
Unfortunately, the Hornets could not mount a comeback against the Cavaliers. It would have been a golden opportunity to pull off an upset comeback win, but alas, it was not Ball's night.
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The Hornets were down 56-32 at halftime, but they managed to pull it back. They lost the game by seven points, which is proof that the Hornets are competitive enough to scare a team that is supposed to be a contender.
Moving forward, this is an encouraging sign for the Hornets. During a game when the best player is not performing well, the rest of the team stepped up, while Ball did the smaller things in the background.
"Regardless of the shooting numbers, he continued to scrap and claw defensively. His engagement there was really good," Lee commended Ball's all-around effort.
"For the most part, he continued to try to play through it and not let his shot-making, or shot-missing, dictate the energy he was gonna give to the game, and try to impact the game in other ways."
Being the number one guy is an extremely difficult role. Ball has done well with that role in the past few seasons, but he does need help. He might have a cold spell like Wednesday night from time to time.
Thankfully for Ball, he has Lee's respect. That is a good dynamic between a player and a coach, as they know they have some faults at times, but they bounce back better than ever.
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