2025 has been kind to the Charlotte Hornets so far. After defeating the Dallas Mavericks on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, they already have four dubs since the turn of the new year, just three short of their wins total from October to December.
LaMelo Ball has been a key reason for the Hornets' improved play. However, in their recent games, the franchise player has not needed to do everything by himself, which had been the case during the team's freefall earlier this season. That slump included notching just one win in a stretch of 19 contests.
Several of his teammates, including Miles Bridges, Mark Williams, and Nick Smith Jr., have offered the needed help in the past few matches. The others have taken turns chipping in. Still, Ball has been the engine that runs Charlotte's ship.
LaMelo Ball's defense has come along nicely
The 2021 Rookie of the Year's ability to get others involved deserves plenty of praise. He has dished out 9.0 assists per game in his past five appearances, a tad higher than his season average.
Charlotte's victory over the Mavs even saw Ball take a bit of a backseat to his buddies, as he couldn't hit a single field goal in the fourth quarter. Fortunately, he was already able to do his damage earlier in the meeting. The 2022 All-Star had 20 of his 23 points in the first half and sank all five of his 3-pointers before intermission. On the bright side, he dished out five assists in the final two periods to finish with nine dimes.
However, it's not just on offense where Ball has excelled. He has also shown improvement on defense, making sure to stay engaged on that end of the court, executing coverages, and not gambling too much for steals. There was even a time when he couldn't contain his aggression, resulting in several bouts with foul trouble.
Charles Lee touched on Ball's defense during the postgame conference after their Mavs tiff. The coach also commended his star denying the red-hot Kyrie Irving the rock near the end of the contest, which aided in sealing the win for the Hornets.
Perhaps it's too much to ask for Ball to be an elite two-player, even though he has the length and athleticism to be great on defense. However, if he can continue churning out solid defensive performances, it will certainly help the Hornets' chances of racking up even more wins like they have done in the past couple of weeks.