Hornets’ LaMelo Ball doesn’t play like a rookie. ‘It’s kind of what we expect now.’
Back in his first season with the Charlotte Hornets, James Borrego said he never wanted to be reactionary, coaching out of fear of other teams’ lineups.
He aspired to be the coach creating the predicaments. If that meant trying something unorthodox, give it a shot.
Playing guards LaMelo Ball, Devonte Graham and Terry Rozier together is unorthodox. It’s something Borrego has tried the last two games — the Hornets are 2-0 with this wrinkle.
Ball, Rozier and Graham were out there together Friday night late in the second quarter and for much of the fourth quarter. Charlotte came back from as much as an 18-point deficit to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 118-110.
Maybe this will be a thing all season, or maybe opposing coaches will neutralize it the next couple of games. But this is a way to get Charlotte’s best players on the court together, which is difficult when three of them play roughly the same position.
Sometimes Borrego shifts Gordon Hayward from small forward to power forward in this formation. Sometimes he subs in Miles Bridges for Hayward. On Friday in the fourth quarter, Borrego did constant offense-to-defense substitutions, swapping Ball and center Bismack Biyombo.
The risk in this extremely small lineup is obvious.
“I definitely knew I had to rebound,” said the 6-foot-7 rookie Ball, who just missed his first NBA triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Unconventional Hornets lineup
Borrego doesn’t aspire to be conventional. I think that’s in his nature, but I’m sure more than a decade as an assistant to San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich encouraged him to try out-of-the-box lineups.
“Those three guys can all shoot the ball and play-make. But we have to rebound and defend with that group, and we did that,” Borrego said. “The more I can get those guys on the floor when it makes sense, the better for us. ...
“I think we can get teams on their heels with that lineup.”
When Hornets drafted Ball and acquired 6-foot-7 Hayward in free-agency, one of the incentives was each could provide positional size — the ability to see over defenses to make plays and to match up with other teams’ length.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of Ball’s debut season so far has been his ability to box out stronger, bulkier opponents under the boards.
“He has a knack for rebounding,” Borrego said. “You can’t teach that.”
LaMelo and ESPN games? ‘It’s all cool’
This was supposed to be some huge night in Ball’s rookie season: The first nationally televised game of his NBA career, and matched against his older brother Lonzo, a starter for the Pelicans.
LaMelo vastly outplayed Lonzo, who finished with five points, three assists and two rebounds. Every time someone asked LaMelo about the significance, he wondered what all the fuss was about.
“I’ve been in ESPN games since I was a kid,” said LaMelo, who is 19. “It’s all cool.”
Less than 10 games in, Ball no longer seems like a rookie.
“It’s kind of what we expect now. He’s done this before, he’s not fazed by the moment,” Borrego said.
“I think he’s a fantastic young player. He energizes our group. He brings us great confidence; a swagger that we need at times. I think that’s fantastic.”
This story was originally published January 9, 2021 at 8:54 AM.
