If the Charlotte Hornets are going to bounce back and be successful this season, they are going to need to improve in one area, three-point shooting. With just 10.7 made threes with a conversion rate of 32.5%, the Hornets ranked 27th and 29th respectively last season. This is not a path toward winning basketball, as evidenced by the teams topping the list in both areas being some of the best in the league.
Charlotte will need someone to lead the charge, and who better than LaMelo Ball? Ball is one of the best playmakers in the league and has the skill set to be an elite scorer. When evaluating the top three-point shooters last year, only three players averaged more made threes per game than Ball (4.0). Stephen Curry (4.9), Klay Thompson (4.4), and Damian Lillard (4.2) were the top three players in the league last year in made shots from deep, with Ball placing fourth.
LaMelo Ball last season (36 games):
— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 5, 2023
23.3 PPG
6.4 RPG
8.4 APG
4.0 3PM (!!)
Only Dame, Klay and Steph hit more 3s per game. pic.twitter.com/cELCKaRouT
While it must be said that Ball only appeared in 36 games last year, and that is far less than that of Curry (56), Thompson (69), and Lillard (58). Additionally, Ball’s conversion rate of 37.6% is only better than Lillard’s (37.1%), while Curry’s (42.7%) and Thompson’s (41.2%) were more consistent from deep last year.
Ball has shown that he is capable of being a better three-pointer shooter, as proven by making 38.9% of his attempts during the 2021-22 season. Another thing to take note of is that Ball appeared in more than twice as many games that season (75) than in 2022-23. This contributes to the belief that it is possible for Ball to make a high volume of threes at a high rate of conversion.
If Ball is capable of continuing his high volume of threes at a rate similar to that of last season, it should result in the Hornets being a more successful team. It can also lead to Charlotte finding a way toward some version of postseason play, genuine playoffs, or a Play-In Tournament appearance, with the latter being significantly more likely.
Which Charlotte Hornets players have most to prove?
Which three members of the Charlotte Hornets were named as having the most to prove in the upcoming 2023-2024 NBA season?