NBA insider questions if LaMelo Ball can be a winning player: ‘He’s got a pretty empty calories game’

ESPN’s Tim MacMahon had an interesting take on Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, questioning whether or not the star guard considers winning to be a priority.

Since drafting Ball with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Hornets have had just one winning record (43-39 in the 2021-22 season), and they’ve won just 48 games over the last two seasons.

“I don’t know that LaMelo Ball can play winning basketball,” MacMahon said. “I don’t know if LaMelo Ball can be the franchise player on a winner because he’s got a pretty empty calories game, right? … The man can fill up a box score, but his efficiency – even despite the fact that he’s shot the 3 pretty well – his efficiency is garbage. His defense is horrific. And I don’t see a lot of evidence that the guy considers winning to be a priority.”

Injuries have certainly hurt Ball and the Hornets, as the star guard only played in 22 games in the 2023-24 season and 36 games in the 2022-23 season.

An All-Star in the 2021-22 campaign, Ball helped the Hornets make the play-in tournament, but they were blown out by the Atlanta Hawks.

Ball struggled mightily in the 132-103 play-in loss, scoring 26 points on just 7-for-25 shooting from the field (4-for-14 from 3) while turning the ball over three times. Charlotte has not come close to a playoff berth since losing in the play-in tournament, finishing with a 27-55 record in the 2022-23 season and a 21-61 record last season.

The Hornets did also make the play-in tournament with a losing record in Ball’s rookie season, but they lost handily, and Ball struggled.

“I wouldn’t go quite as far to say that there’s zero evidence of him showin’ winning basketball ’cause they did have a winning season,” ESPN’s Tim Bontemps said of Ball. “And they did – that was his second year in the league. … But he’s got a lot to prove over the next couple years.”

Both Bontemps and MacMahon agreed that Ball is a talented player, but unfortunately, the Hornets have not been able to win with him on the roster. If Ball stays healthy in the 2024-25 season, that could change.

Charlotte made a nice draft pick in the 2023 NBA Draft by selecting Brandon Miller, and the franchise is hoping new head coach Charles Lee can help propel it to the playoffs in the near future.

Even though Ball hasn’t made a playoff appearance in four NBA seasons, he still has an All-Star selection to his name while averaging 20.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game for his career.

It’ll be interesting to see if he can prove to MacMahon and other doubters that he can be the best player on a winning team.