LaMelo Ball needs to prove he is capable of staying on the floor. However, there might be a more pressing concern about his game that he should urgently fix if he wants to be the leader the Charlotte Hornets need: his shot selection. The good news is that he showed major strides in that area during the preseason.
Last season saw the Hornets star develop a nasty reputation as a shot-chucker. Whether that is accurate or not is up for debate. But some key stats are telling. He finished with a usage rate of 35.9 but made just 40.5 of his field-goal attempts and 33.9 percent of his 3-point tries.
In Ball's defense, he still logged a career-high 25.2 points per game. Imagine, though, if he were able to score more efficiently, he likely would have averaged more points. Unfortunately, the quality of his shots, in general, was not exactly inspiring stuff.
We cannot pin the blame solely on Ball, as Charlotte was also culpable in his usually poor shot selection. Without more reliable shot-creators around him, either because of injuries or simply how the roster was constructed, he had to take it upon himself to carry the scoring load despite defenses keying in on him.
LaMelo Ball's shot selection this preseason was impressive
The preseason showed us how efficient Ball can be when surrounded by a significantly stronger supporting cast. In four appearances, he put up 17.3 markers in 22.7 minutes per contest. His field-goal percentage? A whopping 54.5 percent. The star had never shot better than 39.6 percent in the five previous preseasons. He also converted 46.9 percent of his shots from downtown for good measure.
Ball was sharp in picking his spots, never forcing the issue on most possessions. In addition, he thrived playing off the ball, while the likes of Kon Knueppel and Collin Sexton helped in initiating the offense. Of course, he still displayed the tendency to showboat, but that is just part of his game, and the Hornets will prove wise not to fully suppress the potential superstar's affinity for showmanship.
It's also worth noting that the 2022 All-Star seemed to trust his teammates on offense more than ever. Hopefully, Hornets coach Charles Lee can develop an offensive playbook that can maximize the franchise cornerstone both with and without the ball in his hands.
Only time will tell if Ball's preseason brilliance can translate to the regular season. Still, it bodes well for the team that he has already massively improved on his shot selection.
Unless injuries ravage Charlotte again, it's safe to say that Melo's high-volume shooting days are over.