Copyright Heavy.
The Charlotte Hornets are five seasons removed from selecting LaMelo Ball third overall. Four years ago, he made the All-Star Game. Since then, his career has been defined by losses and injuries. Ball has played in over 55 games only once. When he’s healthy, he is one of the flashiest players in the NBA, although he needs to focus on efficiency and health. Ball has been included in trade speculation, although there is still reason to be patient in Charlotte. If the Hornets can improve, he can remain the centerpiece, although the pressure is starting to mount. In order to shake his “loser” label, Ball needs to embrace a winning playstyle. LaMelo Ball Must Play Like Tyrese Haliburton Tyrese Haliburton can stuff the stat sheet, although he carries himself like a player who doesn’t care about individual numbers. He led the Indiana Pacers to the Finals last season and could have won the title had he not torn his Achilles. Last season, Haliburton’s scoring and assists numbers took a step back from seasons prior, although he took better care of the ball and simply made winning plays. Ball, meanwhile, enjoys one-legged 3-pointers and no-look passes. Those can be entertaining, but there’s a reason he boasts a career .424 winning percentage. “I can compare him with another tall point guard like Tyrese Haliburton, who steadily goes and gets 30 points, 15 assists, and leaves with one turnover,” said Evan Turner on Sports Illustrated’s Open Floor Show. “And all he’s doing is controlling the pace at a high, high level and keeping the game efficient. He knows his killers on wings, he knows his system, and he knows where his kill spots are.” Ball can lean into Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, and Kon Knueppel to carry a scoring load instead of insisting on doing everything by himself, at the expense of winning. Pressure is Mounting for Charlotte Hornets Even though Ball is untouchable (for now) in trade talks, his invincibility won’t last forever. The Hornets have never been a winning franchise, although the culture is slowly being fixed. Ball either needs to buy in or ship out, and this is the season for the team to take a leap, as their rivals are plagued by injuries. “This is the year Charlotte has to make a move,” outlined Chris Mannix. “The Eastern Conference stinks. They’ve got enough talent to make the playoffs. They’ve got to be like a 500-team or better this year. I think that’s enough to get into the postseason.” If Ball can play real basketball, not made for YouTube highlight compilations, then he should be able to secure a winning record for the second time in his career. He is yet to play postseason basketball. “It should be a .500 team,” Mannix declared. “When LaMelo Ball is playing 65-70 games with Brandon Miller, that’s enough to compete in the Eastern Conference. It should be more than enough.” Asking Ball (and Miller) to play upwards of 70 games is a massive request. However, if Ball can’t prove himself reliable on and off the court, his star status could quickly fizzle.
