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If you’ve watched a single Charlotte Hornets game this season, or even part of a game, you can tell that LaMelo Ball, just 15 games into his NBA career, is already one of the most exciting young players in the world. the league. He turned in a impressive performance against his brother, Lonzo and the New Orleans Pelicans on national television earlier this season, then followed that up the following night by becoming the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double.
But, like any 19-year-old, you have to take the bad with the good. After a seven-game streak in which Ball averaged 15.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game while shooting 46% from the field, Ball’s game recently experienced a slow-down. He has averaged 10.7 points, 5.7 assists and four rebounds on 41% shots in his last three games, which has caused Hornets coach James Borrego to cut the rookie’s playing time. .
Ball played just 16 minutes in Friday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls, his lowest total since his second game of the season. Borrego cited the 6-7 leader’s five turnovers as the main reason for his limited action.
“If you flip the ball five times in 16 minutes, that won’t solve me,” Borrego said on Saturday via The Charlotte Observer. “If you’re doing that on the offensive side, you better bring something in a defensive way.
“… He had a stretch where he played extremely well. We have to find him. He has to get better, down the line. He’s committed, he wants to improve. He is able to handle it.”
The relatively harsh public criticism and drop in minutes comes amid claims from Hornets fans for Ball to enter the starting lineup, either alongside incumbents Terry Rozier and Devonte ‘Graham, or in place of the one of them. Graham would make the most sense to move to a reserve as he came off the bench in all but 10 games of his 2019-20 breakout campaign before a steep drop to start this season. But Ball’s defensive limits make him a dangerous prospect for a team that have already made progress in this area so far in 2020-21.
One person who wants LaMelo to start, you’ll be shocked to hear, is his father, LaVar Ball. In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Ball gave one of his branding statements, saying LaMelo was not happy to leave the bench.
“My thing is, he’s not happy about this, but he’s not going to show it,” LaVar Ball told TMZ Sports. “If I train you to be the best and always started your whole life – this is what they don’t get. My boys are not scary role players. They are superstars! Let them do what they do.
We’ve all heard LaVar’s savage rants, like when he said he could beat Michael Jordan in a one-on-one match, or that his eldest son, Lonzo, would become “the best guard ever.” “. LaVar even said ahead of the draft that LaMelo would have to start for the Golden State Warriors (before Klay Thompson’s injury) if they select him.
But when he claims to relay his son’s feelings by saying “he’s not happy” when he comes off the bench, it’s at least worth acknowledging. For his part, LaMelo dismissed any suggestion he was not happy with his role when interviewed by Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer on Saturday.
“No, it’s basketball. It’s all a chemistry,” LaMelo Ball said. “I’m coming (off the bench). It’s not something I’ve been here for four years, or anything like that. It’s just basketball.”
With the Hornets sitting 6-9 (13th in the Eastern Conference) after four straight losses, it’s certainly worth considering if the starting ball is the best shot for the franchise. It could mean more losses in the near term, but it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for Charlotte with a loaded 2021 draft on the horizon. It might be in Ball’s development best interests to give him 30 minutes a game and let him get over his mistakes, but that’s a tough thing to ask of a manager trying to win games.
If Ball returns to his strong game and sets up triple doubles on the bench, however, the pressure for him to start won’t go away.
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