Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) moves the ball against LA Clippers forward Derrick Jones Jr. (55) during the first half at Intuit Dome. Jonathan Hui USA TODAY NETWORK
During a check in on the latest marathon road trip, when discussing a variety of topics posed, Charles Lee explained his vision for the Charlotte Hornets’ star point guard.
Unlike the past two extremely injury-married campaigns, LaMelo Ball is available during this stretch run to close out the season, and it’s providing a chance for the Hornets’ coach and the rest of the team’s hierarchy to get an extended look at the face of the franchise.
“I’ve been seeing him just be a great two-way player,” Lee told The Observer, “seeing more focus defensively, more multiple efforts from him, more communication from him, high-hand contests. I just love what he’s giving us on that defensive end. We love continuing to just challenge him on that end because he is capable of doing it.
“And then offensively, we’ve seen a little bit of everything from him as usual. He’s a creator for himself, he’s a creator for our team and with him on the floor I just feel like we are always in a better spot.”
Lee highlighted some of those same points Sunday night as the Hornets made their final stop on a four-game trek that took them from South Florida to Southern California, a lengthy journey that ended with a 123-88 loss to the LA Clippers at the Intuit Dome.
Ball’s sore right ankle has apparently healed sufficiently, given he’s played in eight of the Hornets’ past nine games, only sitting out against Brooklyn on the tail end of a back-to-back on March 8.
Offensively, he’s putting up numbers, joining Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, LeBron James and Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Boston’s Jayson Tatum in averaging at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists this season.
He leads the NBA in fourth-quarter points (7.8), sits fourth in made field goals (2.6), third in 3-pointers (1.1) and second in assists (2.1). In general, the Hornets’ net offensive rating improves by 9.2 points when he’s in the game, which ranks in the 92nd percentile.
The 27 points, career-high-tying 15 assists and seven made 3-pointers on Friday in San Antonio against the Spurs represented one of his more efficient performances of the season.
“It’s exciting to see him play,” Lee told reporters in Los Angeles. “It’s a testament to his continued pursuit of daily improvement. He really attacked his offseason training really well as well. I think our performance staff and coaching staff put him in a really good spot to have some longevity for most of the season.”
LA Clippers guard Norman Powell (24) shoots the ball against Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) during the second half at Intuit Dome. Jonathan Hui USA TODAY NETWORK
Now, Lee is ready to see Ball take another leap in a couple of areas.
“The goal for him is to continue to get better every day and I think try to work on his leadership,” Lee said. “But outside of the leadership, just being a great two-way player on both sides of the court. I think that goes into how he can continue to lead by example with his daily defensive preparation. I think that I’ve seen a lot more on-ball pressure, shift activity and multiple efforts from him over the last couple of weeks, which has been great for himself, for our team.
“And I think offensively he continues to take what the game is giving him, which was a big part of our success last game (in San Antonio). If they are going to put two on the ball, he’s trusting the pass, he’s trusting his teammates. If they don’t put two on the ball, it’s a great opportunity for him to be able to score. There’s so many elements that he can continue to add to his game, certainly with the ball.
“He’s getting better off the ball and that’s all we can ask of him, is to continue to compete and trust his teammates and keep building his leadership.”
As for the opposite end of the floor where Ball flourishes most, Lee believes a steadied improvement remains a necessity. He’d enjoy witnessing more plays like the one in Atlanta against the Hawks, when Ball had a chase-down block from behind and subsequently pointed to a celebratory bench.
Offering up consistent resistance is imperative for the 23-year-old.
“I think defensively, just stopping people’s initial attack,” Lee said. “I’m not sure we are going to get the guy that’s like a defensive stopper or anything like that. But I do think that when he’s aware of tendencies and he knows I can stop your initial thrust and absorb contact and … trusts that side to come over and help protect the rim, he puts himself in a really good position.
“The other part of it is the pick-and-roll defense. When he closes the gap, he’s got such great length at the point of the screen he gets up and goes under and then he still gives a really good contest that (it helps).
“So, I think he can be a really pesky defender and use his length.”
Not to mention other notable attributes.
“To be able to communicate, that’s the part where I want to see him grow,” Lee said, “because he can communicate so well in the locker room and off the court. I want to see it on the defensive end as well.”
The Charlotte Observer
Roderick Boone joined the Observer in September 2021 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and NBA. In his more than two decades of writing about the world of sports, he’s chronicled everything from high school rodeo to a major league baseball no-hitter to the Super Bowl to the Finals. The Long Island native has deep North Carolina roots and enjoys watching “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” endlessly. Support my work with a digital subscription