Empty stats on a struggling side, or genuine numbers to help build his standing as a young All-Star with leaps and bounds still to make? That’s the question Charlotte and critics are piling on LaMelo Ball, after the 21-year-old guard inked a five-year, $260m extension this offseason. What’s next, only he can decide.
Pressure cranks up for LaMelo, as Charlotte strengthen
- “I feel like we are all growing together – it’s just a great position, all going the right way now. All my years here I’ve had a good time, life wasn’t bad. The basketball aspect, if that’s not really going well, you want to just live your life and have fun – I’m doing that in Charlotte. It all just felt like a great choice,” LaMelo Ball’s first news conference since signing the rookie max
- Hornets GM Mitch Kupchak says Ball extension news a big step: “We have not had great team success, something that will change… to have a player like him back with us, it’s exciting. The talent we need to get where we want to go is already in the system, just going to take a little time to get everybody up to speed – there isn’t a major area needing to be addressed.”
- 2021-22 All-Star guard averaged 23.3 points, 8.4 assists and 6.4 rebounds per game for unpredictable Hornets on 41.1 FG% and 37.6 from three but only played 36 regular season contests as he struggled with persistent ankle issues – the last a season-ending ankle fracture in late February
The dwindling Charlotte Hornets were unfortunate with injuries en route to a 27-55 record last season, the Eastern Conference’s second-worst and despite showing encouraging flashes in the midst of another rough campaign, were fleeting at best.
Gritty wins over Dallas and Oklahoma City in late March, given the circumstances, were memorable but the campaign was largely forgettable. Alas, not all is gloomy in a state where their majority owner Michael Jordan is no more.
They were blessed in the lottery with the No. 2 overall pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, selecting Alabama’s 6ft 8in small forward/guard Brandon Miller ahead of the more highly-regarded Scoot Henderson who fell to the Portland Trail Blazers at #3.
Many deemed that choice to be a deliberate one, given how his playstyle is more of a complimentary fit alongside Ball.
While it makes sense in the short-term, mid to long-term projections could come back to bite them, unless they’re able to make the most of their young core developing now and rise up the standings rather quickly at that.
Ball becomes the fourth player from his draft class to receive a max deal, after Memphis’ Desmond Bane, Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton in Indiana. None of those three ball clubs are established playoff teams yet, either.
As we’ve seen in the past, inking hefty contracts isn’t exactly a watertight agreement that said player won’t become disgruntled and angle for a trade before long if they feel things aren’t where they expect – just look at Anthony Davis in New Orleans.
Having twice tasted the play-in tournament but fallen short (Indiana in 20-21 and Atlanta in 21-22), the most important thing now is for Charlotte to make the postseason proper and establish themselves as a contender. Easier said than done.
They couldn’t manage that with new AS Monaco acquisition Kemba Walker leading them in their backcourt during his prime, while the East is being bolstered as Detroit and Orlando are among other struggling sides making big offseason moves.
This coming season and beyond, fitness permitting, we’ll get to see the real truth behind Ball’s impressive numbers and whether he’s able to adapt seamlessly with a highly-rated rookie alongside him – having been one himself not too long ago.
Picture source: Getty Images
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