The Charlotte Hornets have one of the best players in the NBA in LaMelo Ball. He has been limited by injuries at times, but Ball is still a star while on the floor. Charlotte, however, wants to compete sooner rather than later. Ball can make a specific change to his game that would likely elevate the Hornets' overall performance.
Ball took a career-high 11.2 three-point attempts per outing a season ago. His 7.4 assists per game was his lowest mark since his rookie season back in 2020-21. Ball's 21.3 field goal attempts per contest was also a career-high.
He was able to average a career-best 25.2 points per outing across the 47 games he played in, but the Hornets' offense endured ups and downs overall. The reality of the situation is that although Ball is a tremendous scorer, he needs to shoot the ball less.
Finding a way to involve his teammates on a more consistent basis would help the team. It felt as if Ball forced many shots this past season, en route to career-lows in both field goal percentage (40.5 percent) and three-point percentage (33.9 percent).
LaMelo Ball can help the Hornets' offense in multiple ways
A more efficient LaMelo Ball is what the Hornets need. Charlotte also needs its overall offense to find chemistry as a unit. Ball taking 11 threes and 21 field goal attempts per game in a stagnant offense will not help Charlotte reach the next level from a wins-loss standpoint.
Ball is a tremendous passer. He sometimes forces the issue, but Ball certainly knows how to find open teammates. Getting teammates involved more will help matters. However, having Ball off the ball at times will also allow other Hornets to develop more confidence within the offense. Yes, Ball will still be the primary ball-handler, but letting others bring it up at times could lead to a balanced overall attack.
The Hornets understand how talented of a player LaMelo Ball is. He features the ceiling of an MVP candidate. The first priority for Ball will be to stay healthy. If he accomplishes that feat, then making the aforementioned change to his offensive game will likely help the Hornets find more consistent success.
Charlotte will be an intriguing team to follow throughout the 2025-26 campaign as LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller prepare to lead the way.