LaMelo Ball Will be 'Challenged' by Hornets Coaches on Defense, Says HC Charles Lee

Charlotte Hornets coaches will continue to challenge point guard LaMelo Ball as they look to improve his defensive skills, per head coach Charles Lee.

"We have to continue to challenge him and we have to learn about 'can he guard one-on-one, or do we need to send a double team every time, or are you going to foul?'" Lee said, per ESPN News Services.

"So as a staff we have to figure out what we are comfortable living with. But also, through conversations with him, can he just sit down and guard his yard and commit to just showing his hands and defend without fouling?"

Ball has been tremendous offensively, averaging 30.2 points on 47.4 percent shooting (40.5 percent from three) and 6.3 assists per game. But he's also struggling on defense, with his 120 defensive rating and -1.0 defensive box plus/minus both marking career-lows, per Basketball-Reference.

Ball is also posting a career-high 7.1 personal fouls per 100 possessions. His 30 personal fouls rank first in the NBA (5.0 per game). Ball's fouled out in three of his team's six games, and Lee said the team's goal is to knock down "non-competitive fouls."

"I can live with a Payton Prichard end-of-shot clock fadeaway jumper or the Jayson Tatum fadeaway step-back jumper," Lee said after his Hornets fell to the Boston Celtics for the second time in two nights. "It's the ones where it's just blow-bys. To me they're just non-competitive fouls where you are just giving up on the play by just fouling the guy."

So Ball has some things to work on, but his offensive game is fantastic to watch even at just 23 years old and only four-plus years (190 games) into his professional career. It appears he's broken out even more on that end now. If he improves his defensive effort, then Ball could emerge as one of the league's top superstars.