The Charlotte Hornets still consider LaMelo Ball a key piece in the organization’s future aspirations. Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports stated on February 7th that Charlotte views Ball as a foundational piece for their future.
“He’s a foundational piece. Mark Williams was not deemed that”.
LaMelo Ball’s mindset
The Hornets’ assessment is baffling, as LaMelo Ball’s mindset is not conducive to winning games. Ball has a habit of trying to turn every offensive possession into a highlight play.
On February 7th, Ball stood on the left block with 2:32 left in the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs. He received the inbound pass from Nick Smith Jr. with five seconds left on the shot clock.
Ball took a few steps towards the left corner before attempting a fadeaway turn-around jumper, which he missed. Ball’s decision was wrong, as multiple better options were on the table.
Ball could have backed down his defender, Stephon Castle, for 2-3 seconds before attempting a turn-around jumper. On the other hand, LaMelo Ball could have also turned around and shot over Castle, as he is listed as an inch taller.
Ball’s need to constantly make the highlight play has made him inefficient. He is averaging 28 points and shooting 41.6% on 23.3 shots per game. LaMelo Ball’s shooting percentage ranks 48th among guards who have started at least ten games this season.
The 2024-25 season isn’t the first time LaMelo Ball’s inefficiency has been on display. Bowl has been inefficient throughout his whole career. He shot 42.7% on 16.7 attempts over his first four seasons with the Charlotte Hornets.
Ball’s inefficiency has negatively impacted the club. The Hornets’ starting lineup shot 43.2% on 60.6 attempts over the first 18 games of this season, ranking 27th in the league in field goal percentage. Charlotte’s starting lineup’s inefficiency contributed to the team only winning 33% of its games during this stretch.
Injuries
The counterargument to these statistics will most likely be that I picked a small sample size. Yes, that is correct, but here is why: LaMelo Ball suffered a strained left calf that removed him from the lineup for the next seven games.
Injuries have been common throughout Ball’s professional career. He has missed 58.9% of the Hornets’ regular season games due to several lower body injuries. Ball sprained his right ankle driving to the basket during the game against the Orlando Magic on November 26th, 2023. The ankle caused him to miss the next 20 games.
Based on what I have detailed above, the Hornets shouldn’t view LaMelo Ball as a franchise player. They should be canvassing the league for trade offers. A potential trade would give Charlotte multiple assets and several opportunities to find players who will play more games and be more efficient than Ball.
If Charlotte does decide to trade him, the Brooklyn Nets make sense as a potential trade partner. The Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations for Charlotte, Jeff Peterson, worked for Brooklyn previously.
He was the assistant general manager from May 2019 to March 2024. Jeff’s previous relationship with the organization leads me to believe he should have an easier time constructing a trade with the Brooklyn front office.
Furthermore, Brooklyn can trade a first-round pick from 2026 to 2031. Consequently, Charlotte can ask Brooklyn for multiple first-round picks in exchange for Ball.
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