LaMelo Ball is Arriving
Photo Credits: Sporting News
If you’ve paid any attention to the first week of NBA basketball this season, you’ve seen that the Charlotte Hornets have been playing must-watch basketball. Miles Bridges has been off to a scintillating start, showing off the dribble flashes and more than solid defense on his way to Eastern Conference Player of the Week in Week 1. Gordon Hayward has taken a back seat as a primary scorer, but still delivers in the clutch when the team needs it. Ish Smith torched the nets en route to torching the Nets, while Jalen McDaniels almost saved the day in their lone loss to Boston.
But while all those things are fine and good, the engine behind Charlotte’s insanely fun brand of basketball (and their surprising 3-1 start) has been LaMelo Ball. Ball has been the catalyst to Charlotte’s scintillating style of play, averaging 22.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game through the Hornets’ first 4 games. The reigning Rookie of the Year has taken his game a step forward this season, and the Hornets are ascending with him.
One of the biggest surprises of Ball’s rookie season was how much further ahead his jumpshot was headed into his NBA career, and so far in Year 2, that progress has continued. Through 4 games, LaMelo is shooting a ridiculous (and unsustainable) 50% from 3 on 8 attempts per game, up from 5.1 last season. Much of that number can be attributed to him shooting 75% on catch-and-shoot 3s, a number that will surely decrease, but the shot to focus on is his off-the-dribble 3-point shot. Ball is only hitting 33% of those shots this season so far, but there is a marked increase in the confidence and difficulty of the shots he’s taking and making.
He has also become quite adept at leaking out in transition when he doesn’t have the ball, leading to easy layups in transition, a mark of his increased aggression as a scorer this season.
Ball is averaging 18 shots per game this year, well up from 13.2 last season, marking his noted dedication to score more. As Ball asserts himself as a two-way player and further expands his game on the perimeter, teams will start to react to the idea of him shooting and treat him more like a perimeter threat,
But his activity on the defensive end has increased as well. Like last season, his off-ball awareness and effort has been present in spades, and he has defended in help at a much better clip than was anticipated coming into the league. He is averaging 1.8 steals per game, and has shown a high level of awareness roving the passing lanes and understanding when to gamble for steals in help.
He also shows off his basketball IQ well on the defensive end, reading opponent sets before they happen so he can break them up. In the below clip, he reads the Ricky Rubio/Evan Mobley dribble handoff well in advance and jumps in between it, getting the steal and igniting the break. Possessions like that are key for Charlotte since they emphasize pushing the pace so much, making Ball a key asset for them defensively.
He is surely a better defender off the ball than on it at this stage of his career, as he is still prone to getting blown by at the the point of attack, but Charlotte doesn’t necessarily need him to guard defenders at the point of attack, with players like Terry Rozier and Kelly Oubre better equipped for that role anyway. Though the on-ball defense remains somewhat of an issue, Ball is already so much farther ahead on defense than anyone thought he would be in Year 2, and the continued strides he is taking in help are incredibly encouraging. Any defensive issues he may have don’t derive from a lack of effort, something you love to see out of a young player.
For all the improvements he’s made as a shooter and defender, we still haven’t touched on the best (and by far the most exciting) part of his game: his playmaking. Ball’s passing has picked up right where it left off last season, and it may well be the greatest show in sports right now.
He can make every read in the book, and he can do it with a style that exudes confidence and, more importantly at least from a viewership perspective, fun. If there’s a crack in the defense, Ball is going to find it and abuse it in the most aesthetically pleasing way possible.
Once an advantage in the halfcourt is created, LaMelo is able - and boy is he willing - to make the right play out of it. (Creating said advantage, however, remains an issue; more on that later). But in the open court, all bets are off. Much like his brother in Chicago, LaMelo loves chucking full-court outlets to a streaking teammate.
And a LaMelo Ball fastbreak with Miles Bridges on the floor might be among the most enjoyable things I’ve ever seen as a basketball fan. Combining such a generational playmaker with a forward who is just as joyous, and willing to absolutely decimate the rim, is a blessing from the hoop gods so great I’m not sure what we did to earn it.
The synergy between Ball and Bridges is real. Per pbpstats.com, the duo has posted a net rating of 19.57, a ridiculously high number. The sample size is small and the number will surely shrink, but those two will be a mainstay of Charlotte’s success all season long. Plus, the more moments like these we get, the better:
Ball’s passing remains elite as a whole. His 35.1% assist percentage ranks 10th among all players averaging 20 minutes per game this season (minimum 2 games played), according to NBA.com. On top of that, he has posted a 2.45/1 assist-to-turnover ratio, meaning his passing has not only been fun, but efficient. Ball has been Charlotte’s engine, pushing the pace and finding open shooters, cutters or dunkers all around the floor.
On balance, LaMelo has been fantastic to start this season. But if there’s one major area he needs to improve on if he wants to raise his ceiling to perennial All-Star status, and with that, the Hornets’ ceiling as a whole, it’s his driving. According to NBA.com, Ball is averaging 12.8 drives per game, but shooting a horrendous 39.3% from the floor out. of them. If he doesn’t get separation off of a screen, he doesn’t have the athleticism to speed past his defender, nor the strength to power through him, which when combined with his aversion to contact on his drives, leads to a lot of uncomfortable finishes.
His halfcourt finishing has been massively hindered by his unwillingness to initiate contact or drive into his defender, a pretty big issue for someone as willing to drive as he is. His footwork on drives is also sloppy, leading to a lot of uncoordinated and confusing finishes.
He has somewhat of a floater, and he defaults to it far too often when things don’t go right on drives. Right now, teams can (and will) go over on every screen to eliminate the threat of a pull-up 3, knowing that unless they completely die on the screen they can recover and force a bad look. Not only does this hinder the effectiveness of his 3-point shot, but it closes off so many opportunities to make the plays he can so well. Rarely do his drives put pressure on the defense to the point where they have to send help, which are the exact moments Ball thrives in. Increasing his strength and willingness to draw contact will be paramount to his growth as an offensive player and maximizing his strengths.
Luckily for Ball, the creation burden doesn’t fall squarely on his shoulders. The Hornets have Gordon Hayward and Miles Bridges in the starting lineup (plus Terry Rozier when healthy), and Ish Smith and Kelly Oubre off the bench, meaning they have options in the halfcourt to get the defense moving, letting Ball play to his strengths. Why do you need to make the defense move when you have 2 guys around you who can? Surrounding him with creators that force the defense to make decisions for him has let him play at his best while still growing in the areas that need serious work. And while Charlotte does have serious roster concerns (particularly in the frontcourt), surrounding Ball with wings and guards who maximize his best style of play has been a huge win for the Hornets.
LaMelo Ball isn’t perfect. I mean, he’s a 20-year-old point guard. Of course he has things he can (and seriously should) work on if he is to reach his full potential. But that potential is high. Really high. A 6’6 point guard who can see every play on the floor and make every play in the book while also being a net-positive defensively is incredibly hard to come by in the NBA. And we’re seeing the results of that before our eyes. The Hornets are off to their best start in franchise history, and LaMelo has a huge part to play in that, even with his flaws on both ends of the floor. If (or when) he figures out how to pressure defenses going downhill, he is going to become an offense unto himself, a player who can punish any defensive mistake, who is so unselfish that his teammates remain engaged and happy, and who can seamlessly toggle between deferring and taking matters into his own hands. For the first time in over 2 decades, Charlotte is playing must-see basketball, and with LaMelo at the helm, that will continue for years to come.