Can LaMelo Ball Ignite the Hornets?

The 2020 NBA Draft class has been somewhat of a forgettable one, collectively. There have been a few bright spots, however. Anthony Edwards, the first overall pick in 2020, has emerged as a franchise cornerstone for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Edwards helped lead Minnesota to their first Western Conference Finals since 2003-2004.

Tyrese Haliburton (12th overall) joins Edwards as the only other player drafted in 2020 to be named an All-Star and make an All-NBA team. Haliburton led the Indiana Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals last season and looks primed to sit atop the league’s assist leaders for the next decade, presuming good health.

Tyrese Maxey (21st overall) averaged just under 30 points per game (29.8) in a six-game series against the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs last year. Despite not advancing past the first round, Maxey established himself as one of the premier young guards in the NBA. His efforts were recognized as he was named an NBA All-star, his first, awarded the NBA’s Most Improved Player, and received the NBA Sportsmanship Award.

That leaves LaMelo Ball (3rd overall) as the only other player from the 2020 NBA Draft class to have been named an All-Star. Despite Ball’s lone appearance occurring during the 2021-2022 season, it seems like a distant memory at this point. Perhaps that is because he has only played a total of 48 games over the last two years. Coincidentally, the Charlotte Hornets have only won 48 games over the last two seasons.

But now that Ball is healthy, Miles Bridges has hopefully put his legal issues behind him, and Brandon Miller looks like he will push to be in the fringe all-star category sooner than later Charlotte may be able to turn a few heads this year. But that is all going to start with the availability and health of their lead guard.

He made his home preseason debut last Sunday to the tune of 18 points and seven assists in just 19 minutes. Ball wasted no time reminding the New York Knicks and the rest of the NBA that he is a high-volume shot maker that must be accounted for at all times. Never shy about taking a lot of three-pointers, he went 4-10 on triples against New York.

But what stands out the most to me in the above video is how much he influences the defense in ball screen situations. His driving layup in the first sequence speaks to that. Blowing past Mikal Bridges with OG Anunoby as the screener’s defender like it was drinking a glass of water is no small feat. Both are among the best defenders in the league.

The spacing in this sequence is excellent. Miller is in the weak side corner forcing Josh Hart in the low man position and last line of defense. I like Ball’s chances to finish over Hart and so did he. Nick Richards is in the weak side slot, putting Karl-Anthony Towns in a position not to be able to adequately provide help. Jalen Brunson is not going to help out of the strong side corner while defending Josh Green, so Brunson is not a factor to consider here.

Involving Bridges in the screen puts further stress on the defense as he is a multi-faceted scorer and must be accounted for by both Anunoby and other help defenders should he roll or pop.

Ball’s catch-and-shoot makes from beyond the arc from Bridges (:10-minute mark) and Miller (:32-minute mark) provide fans a glimpse of how the teams three biggest offensive stars can play off each other. Starting at the :44-minute mark he is working out of an inside ball screen from Richards with Jericho Sims defending in drop coverage. Ball gets downhill on Sims quickly via a nice screen by Richards which puts Cameron Payne in recovery mode the entire possession. Floaters are not the most efficient shot but are virtually impossible to defend effectively given how the possession unfolds.

He followed up his preseason debut with a 24-point outing in only 23 minutes against the Miami Heat last Tuesday. I spoke about the potency of ball screens involving Ball and Bridges earlier and we are treated to another example starting at the :09-minute mark. I do not think that Miami wants to switch Terry Rozier onto Bridges. But with Jimmy Butler stepping up to defend a potential three-point shot, that leaves Rozier trailing the now rolling Bridges. Bam Adebayo seals Richards to prevent a lob opportunity and Bridges just finishes over the smaller Alec Burks.

The deep triples at the 1:01 and 1:43 minute mark further speak to how dangerous he is from anywhere on the floor. Ball stretches opposing defenses more than any other Hornet and his live dribble playmaking (1:25 minute mark) works in concert with his outside shot. It is one of the reasons why Charlotte fans should be at least a little optimistic about the team’s outlook for this season.

Of course, I am just talking about the X’s and O’s of basketball and only touched on the offensive end of two preseason games. The Hornets ranked second to last a year ago in defensive rating, a mark they most certainly need to improve on. Obviously, the defense is going to need to get better, and Ball is not known for that. But that does not fall squarely on his shoulders.

Both Richards and a healthy Mark Williams are going to need to take a step forward as potential anchors on the backline. Charlotte ranked 23rd in opponents points in the paint and 25th in blocks per game (4.5).

The Atlanta Hawks made the play-in as the 10th seed last season with a total of 36 wins. The Hornets only won 21 games last year, and while Ball himself does not carry a WAR (wins above replacement) of 15 wins (no player has anything close to that), his presence represents a chance to surpass just 36 wins. In 2021-2022, the season in which he was an all-star, Charlotte went 43-39. A drastic improvement is not as far-fetched as one might think. The main thing for Ball and for the Hornets is the health of their star guard, and Bridges and Miller to a slightly lesser extent.