The Charlotte Hornets have had an offseason for the ages. Still, their success heavily boils down to their best and most popular player, LaMelo Ball, developing into a more serious basketball player. Of course, he also has to be on the court more than he is on the sidelines.
Dave DuFour, Andrew Schlecht, and Keith Parish of "The Athletic NBA Daily" recently talked about the Hornets, pointing out that Ball is a major reason people pay to see the team. It wouldn't be surprising if that were true, as the 2021 Rookie of the Year is quite entertaining to watch. The podcast hosts even shared having witnessed fans shouting the star's name during a Summer League game in Las Vegas, hoping that he would turn around, and how his signature sneakers are popular, especially among the younger generations.
However, while they praised Ball's creativity and willingness to put the team on his back, they questioned his ability to stay healthy and play team basketball. Given how the hoopster's career has so far turned out, he should learn to deal with criticisms because some of them certainly have merit.
Still, defending Ball's capability of playing winning basketball is a hill I'm willing to die on. He demonstrated such quality when he helped Charlotte race to a 43-39 record in the 2021-22 season, where he suited up in 75 contests.
Does Melo need to rein in his penchant for flashy plays? Maybe a little. But the biggest concern now for the 23-year-old phenom is overcoming his injury woes and becoming a better leader on and off the court. As the media personalities from The Athletic concurred, "Popular doesn't win you basketball games."
Hornets have to embrace their LaMelo Ball burden fully
So, Ball has to find a way to get his body right and steer his team towards winning on the hardwood floor instead of the bench.
Charlotte, though, has to accept the burden of providing its cornerstone with the motivation to stay in competitive shape and help foster a positive environment for all the talented pieces the front office has acquired in the past years and during this summer.
Whether the organization and its fans like it or not, its prospects of rising from the bottom of the league hinge on how well Ball's development progresses. Sure, he can draw large crowds to arenas and increase engagement among users on social media. But until he is able to bring more substance to his game beyond his remarkable statistics and highlight-reel plays, the Hornets could remain stuck in limbo in the next few years.