LaMelo Ball Called out by Hornets HC After Benching: 'Have to Be Better for Us'
Charlotte Hornets head coach James Borrego called out rookie guard LaMelo Ball and forward Miles Bridges after they combined for nine points and nine turnovers in Friday's 123-110 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
"Those two guys have to be better for us," Borrego told reporters. "They energize our bench. Winning the bench every night is a big key for us. Obviously, we did not do that tonight. I thought their bench was fantastic. They kicked our tail, our starters and our bench. We need Miles and LaMelo to play better."
Ball was benched after back-to-back turnovers in the third quarter and didn't return to the game.
The third overall pick in the 2020 draft and Bridges, a 2018 first-round selection, have typically provided the Hornets with a boost while playing together on the second unit. That didn't happen Friday as Chicago won the bench scoring battle, 46-20.
Ball is off to a solid start to his NBA career. He's averaged 11.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.5 steals across his first 15 appearances, and he recorded a triple-double in a Jan. 9 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
While the Hornets will hope his offensive efficiency will eventually improve—he's shot just 40.4 percent from the field, including 32.4 percent on threes—his all-around play has been a bright spot during the team's lackluster 6-9 start.
His outspoken father, LaVar Ball, isn't happy with how things are playing out, though.
The elder Ball told TMZ Sports in an interview released Saturday that LaMelo should be leading the Charlotte attack rather than coming off the bench.
"My thing is he ain't happy with that, but he ain't go show that," Ball said. "If I train you to be the best and always been starting all your life—here is what they don't get: My boys are not freakin' role players! They superstars! Let them do what they do!"
He also took a shot at Borrego for his approach to the situation.
"But if your mentality ain't like that, guess what? It's hard to coach my boys and tap into the best because you don't have a killer mindset," Ball said.
Moving Ball to the starting lineup would require one of the team's top three scorers, Gordon Hayward, Terry Rozier or Devonte' Graham, shifting to the bench, and that's an unlikely swap at this stage of the rookie point guard's development despite his ample upside.
The 19-year-old California native will seek a bounce-back performance Sunday when the Hornets travel to the Amway Center for the first of two straight games against the Orlando Magic.
