LaMelo Ball Praised by Hornets HC, Brandon Miller amid Success Following NBA Trade Deadline Rumors
The Charlotte Hornets decided to keep LaMelo Ball through the NBA trade deadline despite speculation about his future, and they are surely glad they did as they have played their way into the Eastern Conference's postseason picture.
"His spirit is so infectious and contagious around our building," Hornets head coach Charles Lee said of Ball, per Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer. "There's just so much joy that he brings. His teammates love him. They love being around him. … He is one of those guys that's so open-minded to being coached. He's still hungry to learn.
"And because you're able to coach your best players hard and consistently, it makes everybody else around him also realize that they can also get coached, too. So, it creates a good environment where I think everybody understands it's not personal. It's all in an effort to help us get better."
That was on full display during Saturday's 124-101 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Ball finished with 29 points, four assists and three rebounds behind 7-of-14 shooting from deep. But it was the guard's defense that helped him notch three steals and one block that stood out the most to teammate Brandon Miller.
"Him on the defensive side, nobody really talks about it," Miller said, per Boone. "I think everybody always looks at the one-legged threes, the flashy moves, the flashy lobs. The one thing that separates him this season is the defensive effort and the competitor that he is. Just stepping up in tough games and guarding the best players and trying not to foul. It's him just trying new things. So him being open-minded is great for us."
With Ball, Miller, Kon Knueppel and Miles Bridges leading the way, Charlotte has won three in a row to improve to 37-34. It is also 21-6 in the last 27 games, which has helped it move into play-in tournament position in 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings.
It is a full 7.5 games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks for the final spot in that play-in tournament and just two games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the No. 6 seed. If it continues to play at this level, it could finish in the top six of the Eastern Conference and avoid the play-in tournament entirely.
Ball, who was the No. 3 overall pick of the 2020 NBA draft, has been a driving force in the turnaround and is averaging 21.6 points, 5.7 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game in March.
That he is playing serviceable defense, which Miller highlighted, while putting up those numbers is key because opponents are not as consistently able to isolate him in switches and keep pace with the Hornets' high-octane attack that has scored more than 120 points in each of the last three wins.
Charlotte may have seen Ball as the future franchise cornerstone when it selected him with such an early draft pick, but he is fitting in perfectly alongside his teammates and helping the team develop into a true threat in the Eastern Conference.
