LaMelo Ball, LaVar Ball
The Charlotte Hornets keep stacking wins, and LaVar Ball believes he knows exactly why. After Charlotte routed the Chicago Bulls 131-99 to secure a franchise-record eighth straight road victory, LaVar pointed to one central factor, belief in his son, LaMelo Ball, ESPN reports.
Brandon Miller poured in 23 points, Kon Knueppel added 21, and the Hornets shot 51.6 percent from the field. They drilled 25 three-pointers, just one shy of a team mark. LaMelo finished with 16 points, while Miles Bridges chipped in 16 in his return from suspension. Charlotte exploded for a 42-16 third quarter, highlighted by a crushing 22-2 run that buried Chicago and handed the Bulls a 10th straight loss.
For LaVar, the formula feels simple.
“The winning, what’s going on now is, the coach believes in Melo,” LaVar said. “Why you think he’s so successful when I coach him? Cause he’s always been a winning player. I let him go out there and win.”
LaVar Ball Credits Coaching Trust
LaVar argued that rhythm matters more than caution. He suggested that limiting LaMelo’s minutes early disrupts flow and forces the team into a time crunch. “If you play LaMelo 6 minutes in the first quarter, thinking about hurting his ankle, now you’re on a time constraint instead of worrying about the flow of the game,” he said.
He doubled down on his stance that Charlotte’s offense revolves around his son. “The main thing is Melo,” LaVar added. “You got some other players but they don’t go if it ain’t for Melo.”
Charlotte now sits 10th in the Eastern Conference at 28-31, riding a 7-3 stretch over its last 10 games. If the postseason began today, the Hornets would land in the play-in tournament.
Numbers Tell a Complicated Story
Two questions have followed LaMelo since draft night, durability and efficiency. He has played just under 60 percent of possible games in his career. His career shooting marks sit at 41.8 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from deep, both on high volume.
This season, his field goal percentage stands at 40.1 percent, the lowest of his career. His three-point clip rests at 36.7 percent. On the surface, those numbers raise eyebrows.
Yet advanced metrics paint a different picture, SI reports. LaMelo owns a 123.1 offensive rating, the best mark on the Hornets outside of a one-game sample from Coby White. Among players with at least 1,000 minutes, only Nikola Jokic posts a better on-off differential. Charlotte performs 14.5 points better per 100 possessions with LaMelo on the floor.
His shot selection often stretches defenses beyond comfort. Opponents must guard him well past the arc because he will launch from 35 feet without hesitation. That gravity opens space for Miller, Knueppel, Bridges, and the rest of Charlotte’s rotation.
Efficiency may matter in box scores, but impact drives wins. Right now, LaVar sees a coach who trusts his son, a roster that feeds off that confidence, and a Hornets team that refuses to ease up once it grabs control. They would be an entertaining team to watch in the Playoffs, and a tough out for some of the top seeds who may run into them.