LaMelo Ball Compares Dad LaVar's Coaching Style to Hornets' Charles Lee Before NBA Play-In vs. Heat
The Charlotte Hornets can earn their first playoff appearance since 2016 if they make it through the play-in tournament, and a key reason for their success this season has been the relationship between head coach Charles Lee and star point guard LaMelo Ball.
While speaking to The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov, Ball explained that he doesn't mind Lee's tough coaching because he already dealt with that while being coached by his father, LaVar, as a youngster.
"Growing up, my pops was a different type of coach," Ball told Vorkunov. "So whenever you say just tough or hard, like, it's kind of different. So I don't feel like nobody really coaches, like, you know, hard or anything, because growing up, boy, you do the wrong (stuff), you get smacked in your head. … All the coaches that's been here has been love, but Charles Lee's a great one."
Ball, who faced questions about his durability and his winning mentality throughout his first five seasons, enjoyed one of his best years in his second season under Lee's direction. He appeared in 72 games, his most since the 2021-22 season, and averaged 20.1 points and 7.1 assists to help lead the Hornets to a 44-38 record. Charlotte will face the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament on Tuesday night, and it will need two wins to earn its way into the postseason.
Ball even earned praise from the legendary LeBron James and Steve Nash during this week's episode of the Mind the Game podcast (7:00 mark).
"I just think Melo, when you start winning, [it's like], 'This is fun, and I can trust this process. Coach, what you're saying, s--t, this is working, man,'" James said of Ball.
Lee told Vorkunov that he "is not averse to pointing out Ball's mistakes and coaching him hard. Sometimes he will do it in private, and, occasionally, he said, it will happen in front of the team, not just to teach Ball but also to set a standard."
That strategy has paid off, as Lee has the Hornets on the verge of experiencing the postseason for the first time in a decade. It all starts with Tuesday night's game against the Heat, but Ball and the Hornets will surely be motivated to keep their season alive.
