Charlotte Hornets All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball's game might be too "wild" for him to level up to consistent greatness, an insider has claimed.
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Ball, still just 24, has barely been able to stay on the floor in the NBA. Only once has he played more than 51 contests — during his lone All-Star season in 2021-22.
That year, Ball appeared in 75 games and was named to his only All-Star squad so far. He averaged 20.1 points on .429/.389/.872 shooting splits, 7.6 dimes, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.6 steals while pushing the Hornets to a respectable 43-39 record and the Eastern Conference's No. 9 seed. The Hornets made a play-in tournament berth, but failed to advance to the playoffs probable.
A hurt Ball for all seasons
Across the past three seasons, however, he hasn't been nearly as available. Ball has missed an average of 47 bouts.
When available, he does produce. But for Ball — and the Hornets — to take that next step, even in a fairly lackluster conference (at least, compared to the West), Charlotte needs him on the court.
The Ringer's Zach Lowe, for one, thinks that there's greatness in Ball, as he told guest Nekias Duncan on the former's podcast "The Zach Lowe Show." Lowe also cautions, however, that Ball's freelancing on both ends of the court might impede that leveling up.
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"When you consider how many crazy shots he's taken, his pull-up three numbers are really, really good, his catch-and-shoot three numbers are elite," Lowe said. "With that kind of passing vision, that's a... unicorn is too strong a word. You don't find many guys like that, and I'm not giving up on it."
Ball has been saddled with very unserious rosters around him throughout his career. Now, though, Charlotte actually has some impressive roster depth (beyond the center position) on hand, in athletic forwards Miles Bridges and Brandon Miller and No. 4 rookie draft pick Kon Knueppel.
If Ball can reign in some of his daydreaming, improvisational tendencies, maybe the Hornets can sneak into the playoff hunt yet again.
"I thought last year he veered toward, 'Well, what else am I gonna do? Who am I passing to? I'm just gonna take another pull-up three.' I know the coaches are on him about, 'Okay, that was last year. This year, can you bag some of the crazier ones to let other people touch the ball?'" Lowe noted.
The 6-foot-7 pro has never been an elite defender, but if he can at least play within a system on that end while staying his lively, creative self on offense (albeit a bit more under control there, too), Lowe thinks he can reach a new level of consistent stardom.
"If they can rope in the wildness of his game, on both ends of the floor, because defensively, he might be even more wild than he is on offense. I'm just not out, and I'm not gonna be out," Lowe said. "I think LaMelo is a really good offensive player."
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