Many Charlotte Hornets fans are probably excited to see how well LaMelo Ball has improved once the regular season starts. Charles Lee offered an update that should give the Hornets faithful more reason to look forward to watching Ball, stating that the star has been building up his strength and has shown "clear growth" on defense.
The head coach held a tip-off luncheon with the Hornets late last week. And according to Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer, Lee spoke about Ball having "registered a couple of personal records in the weight room this summer and was focused on building up his base."
Lee also mentioned how Ball has given more attention to his defense, particularly on "high-effort plays." The 2021 Rookie of the Year still has to display more discipline in avoiding fouls and more consistency on that end of the floor. However, fans should be thrilled that he has apparently demonstrated incremental improvement during the downtime.
LaMelo Ball's progress is music to Charlotte fans' ears
One of the knocks on Melo is his continued absence due to injuries. Hopefully, spending more time in the gym would result in increased resistance against getting hurt. His injury history has shown persistent battles with ankle and wrist ailments, and perhaps boosting his strength can limit, if not prevent, those occurrences.
In addition, getting stronger would allow Ball to more effectively endure any kind of defense opponents throw at him. For instance, his finishing through contact and drawing fouls still need work, and putting more muscle into his frame should elevate his capability of absorbing contact not just inside the paint but also at the perimeter.
Like the franchise's fans, the Hornets coach should also be ecstatic that his ward has listened to the call to bulk up, get stronger, and be ready for more physical defenses.
Beyond just refining his offensive prowess, Ball also needs to be at least a decent defender if he wants to be viewed in a better light around the league. More importantly, such an improvement would help the Hornets a great deal, especially since they currently have a lack of perimeter stoppers, with the roster already full.
The 2022 All-Star undoubtedly possesses the physique and athleticism to be a plus defender. His IQ and discipline still have a long way to go, though, but Lee's assessment provides grounds to be optimistic that Ball will not be a defensive liability anymore one day.