LaMelo Ball has shown the Charlotte Hornets and their fans that he is a franchise player. Even though Ball is already an elite offensive player, he has the potential to be much more than he already is. This potential begs the question:
What is LaMelo Ball’s ceiling?
Ball is already an offensive juggernaut. This season alone, Charlotte’s offense is 4.3 points per 100 possessions better when he is on the court. However, his one big weakness on the offensive is his play in the restricted area. For his career, Ball shoots about 22% of his shots between 0 and 3 feet from the rim, which is a decent balance. This season, however, he only shoots about 12% of his shots from that distance. Despite the low volume, Ball is shooting a career-best 61% from that distance. Ball is a crafty ball handler with impeccable body control. Combining these two factors with his long frame, speed, and height, the last thing that could benefit him would be putting on some muscle. If Ball gets stronger, he’ll finish at the rim better through contact, leading him to rely less on fouls being called, which could lead to a more aggressive version of Ball.
Another aspect of his game that could stand to be improved is his foul trouble. This season, he’s committing almost four personal fouls per game. He has fouled out of three games so far this season and committed five fouls in three other games. This is simply unsustainable if he hopes to take his game to the next level. Being on the court during crunch time and the beginning of the game is important, but being on the court during the second and third quarters is equally as important. Those are the quarters where runs can decide the game. Missing large chunks of the game due to being in foul trouble hurts his potential production and puts the team in a position to give up large runs. There’s the saying, “basketball is a game of runs.” this has proven to be true in the NBA over the last five seasons, with the game becoming more perimeter-centric and high scoring.
Even with these two glaring weaknesses, Ball is already elite in many aspects of the game. Ball has elite court vision and is an elite passer. His ability to not only see plays before they happen and make tough passes make him an elite playmaker. Ball is racking up 8.3 assists per game this season. This would be good for fifth in the association if he met the game requirements. He has also done a decent job taking care of the ball this season. His 2.9 turnovers per game would have him at 22nd in the association.
In addition to elite playmaking, Ball is also an elite shooter from deep. He is one of three players in the NBA hitting four or more threes a game, joining Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry. He is attempting over 11 threes a game at about 38% from deep. That volume with that level of efficiency is elite.
Ball is having a career year with limited offensive support. Every indication from the Hornets’ coaching staff is that Ball is very coachable and willing to learn and work to improve. At only 21 years old, he has plenty of time to fix bad habits and improve his weaknesses. With proper coaching and on-court support, the sky is the limit for Ball.