LaMelo Ball Discusses Hornets Future, Says 'Life is Better When You Win'

Talent has been hard to come by for the Charlotte Hornets over the years.

So, when the franchise has a star as dynamic and exciting as LaMelo Ball, they better try their best to keep him happy and in town.

And one of the best ways to ensure that happening is fielding a winning team, which hasn't happened since the All-Star guard entered the league in the 2020-21 season.

"He badly wants to win," coach Steve Clifford said of Ball. "... When you're at his level, there are certain expectations. You're going to be compared to the other point guards his age that have had not incredible playoff success but have had some.

"It's important to his career."

When asked about his coach's comments, Ball echoed the sentiment, which should send a clear sign to Charlotte's front office.

"For sure. The main thing is winning," Ball said. "Life if better when you win."

The 21-year-old has expressed that he loves playing for the Hornets but has been a little noncommittal about his long-term future with the organization.

"I love it here," Ball said Monday. "I can't really tell the future. We'll just see how it goes and go from there."

The 2021 Rookie of the Year has been a phenom in Charlotte as he helped lead the Hornets to the play-in tournament twice in his three seasons, although they were never able to break into the playoffs.

This past year was perhaps the most disappointing of his career, mostly due to injury. In 36 games he averaged 23.3 points per game to go along with 8.4 assists—both career highs—and 6.4 rebounds.

His season was cut short on Feb. 27 when he fractured his ankle against the Detroit Pistons, requiring season-ending surgery.

In turn, the Hornets finished with the fourth-worst record in the NBA at 27-55, second worst in the Eastern Conference. At least they'll be in a great position to land a top-five pick in this year's draft.

And that may just be the solution: surrounding Ball with young talent like the Memphis Grizzlies and Cleveland Cavaliers have done with their point guards in Ja Morant and Darius Garland, respectively.

Ball is set to make $10.9 million next season, according to Spotrac. He'll become a restricted free agent after that but is in line for a hefty extension from Charlotte give his performance.