The 2024-25 season serves as a harsh reminder about how quickly things can go south for any NBA team. One day, the Charlotte Hornets are 6-9 and looking like a couple of healthy players away from becoming at least a play-in squad. Then, six weeks later, they have notched just one win to fall to near the very bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
As a consolation for their struggles, the Hornets have been rewarded with the highest odds, along with the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz, in the 2025 draft lottery.
Still, there would probably be a higher level of optimism in Charlotte had its best player shown vast improvement in his game. Unfortunately, this campaign has been a mixed bag for LaMelo Ball.
LaMelo Ball's shot-chucking reached Kobe Bryant's level
Sure, the star recorded a career-high in points (25.2 markers per contest). However, his scoring regressed as the regular season wore on. At some point, he was contending for the scoring championship belt and paced all players in fourth quarter scoring. Unfortunately, injuries both to himself and his teammates affected his on-court production.
The decision to shut Ball down for the remainder of the season over two weeks ago may have been an indication that he hasn't been in optimal health for a while now. And because he had to carry a lot of the offensive burden with key rotation players spending time on the sidelines and the lack of reliable playmakers and shot-creators, his efficiency took a big hit.
Ball finished with career-worst marks from the field (40.5 percent) and the 3-point area (33.9 percent). For the first time in his career, his effective field-goal percentage, which takes into account the relative difficulty of hitting a 3-pointer, dipped below the 50.0 percent threshold.
Bill Simmons also noted that the NBA hasn't seen a player attempt as many shots per 100 possessions since Kobe Bryant did in the 2005-06 campaign. The 2021 Rookie of the Year ended the season chucking 32.7 shots per 100 possessions. Meanwhile, Bryant registered 35.0 field-goal attempts per 100 possessions in 2006.
The difference, though, was that the late Los Angeles Lakers legend put up a career-best 35.4 points per match that season and steered his squad to a 45-37 record and a playoff appearance. As for Ball, he barely eclipsed the 25.0 points per game mark, and the Hornets went just 16-31 every time he stepped foot on the court.
There is hope that a healthy and reinforced Charlotte team will result in Ball not having to resort to playing like Kobe. After all, he has exhibited the potential to be an elite facilitator when surrounded by teammates who can convert his passes into assists.