If Charlotte Hornets plan to make a real postseason run, LaMelo Ball must lead the way
No matter what happens Sunday in Charlotte’s regular-season finale, we know a couple of things for certain.
First, the Hornets are going to be in the play-in tournament. Again.
Second, LaMelo Ball is going to be better in the postseason this time around, and because of that the Hornets have a better chance to make it last longer.
What Ball has done in the past two Charlotte games has been superb, as the Hornets (42-39) have pulled off back-to-back wins to ensure their first winning season since 2015-16. They’ve also guaranteed that Sunday’s 3:30 p.m. game will mean something to them, as they vie for the chance to host a play-in game (teams 7-10 in the Eastern Conference make the play-in tournament; two will emerge to make the actual playoffs).
Charlotte needs to win Sunday against Washington and then will also need some help to avoid the road in its first play-in game. But at the least this looks like a team that has hope again.
Charlotte’s win Thursday night against Orlando at home was nice but expected. Charlotte’s win Friday night at Chicago was nicer and unexpected, as the Hornets had lost five in a row to the Bulls. But the Hornets made their first 11 shots — the most made baskets in a row by any NBA team all year, according to Elias — led by a startling 28 points at halftime and cruised from there.
“Spectacular” was the word Hornets coach James Borrego used to describe Ball after the first win, when Ball had 26 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and four steals against Orlando in a 27-point win. Then Ball did it again vs. Chicago, scoring all of his 24 points in the first half and contributing nine assists in the Hornets’ 16-point victory.
For all of Ball’s dazzling highlights the last couple of days — and his between-the-legs alley-oop pass off the backboard to Montrezl Harrell on Thursday night was a monstrously good one — his description of what he did on the basketball court were far more mundane.
“Pretty much playing basketball, for real” was how the 20-year-old described the win against Chicago. Of a potential home game in the play-in tournament, Ball said: “It’d be cool.”
But Ball is obviously more confident in his ability in the second year of his career. If you remember, Ball looked like a lost 19-year-old in Charlotte’s one-game play-in appearance last season. The Hornets got crushed, 144-117, by Indiana, and Ball’s plus-minus number was minus-35.
Charlotte staggered into that play-in tournament, having lost its final five regular-season games. It may well go into this one having won three in a row. And at the center of it all is Ball.
I had occasion recently to ask former Hornets point guard Muggsy Bogues about Ball.
“Oh, I love LaMelo,” Bogues said. “I just love everything about the kid. I mean his demeanor, his approach to the game. ... He’s very electrifying. He’s a pass-first type of point guard (as Bogues was). But at the same time, he understands the opportunity when he needs to score, and he starts to look for more of his offense here of late which is great. Because they go as he goes.”
Yes, they do. Miles Bridges has become a standout player for Charlotte this season and Terry Rozier can win you some games in the clutch, but Ball is the Hornets’ lone All-Star and their best hope to get out of the play-in and into the actual playoffs.
I also love Ball’s playfulness. He’s happy on the court, sometimes skipping around, sometimes hanging on the rim, sometimes reminding me of the way Cam Newton played when he was in his own athletic prime.
Ball isn’t perfect, of course. I asked Bogues, who routinely had one of the best assist/turnover ratios in the NBA in the 1990s, what Ball could work on.
“I think in terms of his growth,” Bogues said, “He gets a little too out of control at times. ... But other than that, he’s got the total package.”
To prove that to a wider audience, though, Ball has to get his team out of play-in limbo and into an actual best-of-7 playoff series. The Hornets haven’t played one of those since 2016, and the large crowds at Spectrum Center would salivate over any playoff game after a six-year absence.
First things first, though. Charlotte needs to beat Washington on Sunday and needs to win its way out of the play-in.
The Hornets are close to taking a big step. Melo is the one who must make it happen.
This story was originally published April 9, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
