Hornets' LaMelo Ball has clear path to improvement, but he can't do it alone

Ball is a playmaker who thrives with lethal weapons around him.

Feb 24, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee talks with guard LaMelo Ball (1) during a time out in the fourth quarter of the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

The Charlotte Hornets have (at least) two young stars in their organization in LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. Charlotte’s future is completely wrapped up in these two guys, plus possibly Kon Knueppel, depending on how Knueppel develops (he looks great so far). 

A huge theme surrounding Charlotte heading into the 2025-26 campaign is the question of whether LaMelo can learn to play a more mature version of basketball, in which function and efficiency are prioritized far more often than flair.

It’s a difficult pill to swallow for Hornets fans who love watching Melo dazzle with his fancy dribbling and passing, not to mention his general swagger that he couldn’t remove from his persona if he tried.

LaMelo doesn’t need to bury his flair entirely; that would be a mistake. More so, most pundits agree that Ball (and the Hornets) would benefit if Melo simply put more stock into making the simple play and playing with more structure.

Yahoo’s Kevin O’Connor and basketball analyst Kenny Beecham recently discussed this on a new episode of The Kevin O’Connor Show.

NBA analysts discuss LaMelo Ball’s evolution and the imminent rise of Brandon Miller

Oct 9, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Lamelo Ball (1) moves the ball down the court beside Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) during the second half of a game between the Charlotte Hornets and the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

“LaMelo is such a unique case,” Beecham said. “Every step of his basketball playing career, he's had the longest leash … but I think in order for (the Hornets) … to be a competent NBA team, we do need LaMelo to reel it in just a little bit and kind of recognize some of the structure that goes into what it takes to become a competent NBA team.” 

“LaMelo does need to reel it in just a little bit, but also, that long leash is one of the reasons why he can be really fun … but you gotta balance it. And he has not been able to do that yet.”

O’Connor then added some interesting points to the LaMelo conversation, indicating that the players around LaMelo -- most notably, Brandon Miller -- will have to assert themselves for Melo to be at his best, playmaking self.

“With LaMelo, we've seen him play with multi-ballhandler systems in the past … so we know he has a willingness to do things off the ball," O'Connor said. "I think one of the real keys to that growth for LaMelo is these other guys becoming … worthy of having the ball in their hands at a high level." 

Brandon Miller can make LaMelo Ball better

Jan 12, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

“It's just a matter of ‘when’ — not ‘if’ — with Brandon Miller … at some point, this dude is gonna be an All-Star-caliber player, and maybe even an All-NBA-caliber player at some point in his career," O'Connor continued.

“He's an absolute dog out there, genuinely loves basketball. And (he’s) one of the reasons why I'm very bullish on the Hornets' future. It’s almost more about Brandon Miller than it is about LaMelo Ball.”

“Yeah, that's completely fair,” Beecham replied. “I could see two different futures. I could see a future with LaMelo and without LaMelo, and I think both of those futures, I can find myself being optimistic about.”

A ton of Hornets fans have grown to love watching LaMelo, which suggests that the best outcome would be a winning future in Charlotte featuring both Miller and LaMelo.

2025 will be a huge sample size to see how tenable that future is, provided both guys can stay healthy for the majority of the season.

- MORE STORIES FROM HORNETS ON SI -

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