Is the jury still out on Charlotte Hornets star point guard LaMelo Ball? An ESPN reporter thinks what you see is what you get from the 22-year-old star, who is entering his fifth season in the NBA. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon joined Brian Windhorst and The Hoop Collective Show, where he delivered his honest and tough point of view on Ball’s flaws as a rising star for the Hornets.
“I don’t know if LaMelo Ball can play winning basketball. I don’t know if LaMelo Ball can be the franchise player that wins because he has a pretty empty game of calories, right? I mean, the guy can fill up a scoreboard but his efficiency, despite the fact that he’s shot three-pointers pretty well, is zero,” MacMahon said. “His defense is horrible and I don’t see a lot of evidence that this guy is prioritizing winning.”
While one analyst considers that Hornets, Eastern Conference outsiders Looking ahead to the 2024-25 season, ESPN’s MacMahon doesn’t think the Hornets are one of the league’s “sleepers” that people are overlooking. Before suffering a season-ending ankle injury in January, Ball was averaging a career-best 23.9 points, 8.0 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. He was on pace for the best campaign of his young career before a right ankle injury derailed his season.
After missing seven weeks with a high ankle sprain in September, LaMelo reinjured the same ankle six months later. Ball, who hasn’t had a healthy season since 2021-22, his only All-Star season, missed 36 games the following year but will look to continue his growth as one of the Hornets’ franchise pillars.
Miles Bridges Wishes LaMelo Ball Happy Birthday on Social Media
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LaMelo Ball turned 23 this week and received a special birthday message from his Hornets teammate Miles Bridges on social media. Bridges posted a photo of himself and Ball on his 24-hour Instagram story with a caption that read, “Have a great RTB day bro, love you guys,” according to Sports Illustrated’s Ben Stinar.
Having played alongside Ball throughout LaMelo’s four-year career, Bridges is considered a close friend of Ball’s and a cornerstone of the Hornets franchise. Bridges signed a three-year, $75 million extension with the Hornets in July. With a 21-61 record, second to last behind the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference, Charlotte will be looking to reach the playoffs in 2025.
The Hornets haven’t reached the NBA playoffs since former All-Star Kemba Walker was the team’s breakout star in 2016.
