To this day, LaMelo Ball continues to be defined as someone who doesn't play winning basketball. Fox Sports commentator Chris Broussard recently said the Charlotte Hornets star doesn't care about winning, years after imploring him to start wanting to play that brand of basketball.
Shannon Sharpe also talked about Ball lately on his show "Nightcap." His guest, Joe Johnson, suggested that Ace Bailey should consider joining the Hornets so that he can secure the minutes he wants and put up the numbers he expects. Sharpe retorted that Bailey wouldn't get his desire to be a star in Charlotte, citing Melo's averaging high scoring numbers but not garnering any media attention. Johnson argued that it's because the Hornets need to rack up the wins as a small-market team.
Perhaps some of these talking heads need to watch more Hornets games and not rely on box scores and video clips on the internet before serving judgment on Ball.
LaMelo Ball has been unfairly assessed in recent years
Given his flamboyant attitude and play style, it's easy to forget that the point guard helped lead Charlotte to a 43-39 record in the 2021-22 campaign. Unfortunately, a stronger-than-anticipated Eastern Conference field had the squad placing just 10th in the conference. A loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the play-in tournament saw its season end without a playoff appearance.
To gain a better appreciation for the Hornets' feat that year, Ball played alongside the likes of Miles Bridges, Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, Kelly Oubre Jr., Cody Martin, and Mason Plumlee. However, only six of the core pieces, namely Melo, Bridges, Rozier, Oubre Jr., Martin, and Plumlee, suited up for at least 73 matches. The continuity certainly helped then-coach James Borrego craft an offensive system that had the squad ranking fourth in scoring average.
Fans might not be thrilled to know that in each of the previous three campaigns, only one player hit the 71-game threshold. P.J. Washington played 73 contests in the 2022-23 season; Brandon Miller played 74 in the following campaign; Moussa Diabate played 71 this year.
It's worth noting that Ball has averaged just 35.0 appearances per season during that stretch.
The correlation between the Hornets, particularly Ball, staying healthy and winning is too evident to ignore. So, to say that the star doesn't play winning basketball may be a bit foolish. The Hornets weren't able to put up as many dubs as they would have wanted in the past three years, but that was likely in large part due to the injuries that have plagued them.
Still, despite Charlotte's cellar-dwelling ways, Melo has commanded a lot of attention around the league. What else could explain his being 12th on the lists of the NBA players with the most Instagram followers and the highest jersey sales this season?
It's clear how Ball is vital to the Hornets, and perhaps only their fans will truly be able to appreciate him. Sure, he hasn't had the perfect career so far, but some of the criticisms thrown his way are pretty inaccurate.