Lessons learned from LaMelo Ball's worst game as a Charlotte Hornet

What can we learn from LaMelo Ball's disastrous outing in Portland?

Matt Alquiza | Jun 9, 2025

Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

In this story:

Charlotte Hornets

In February of 2025, the Charlotte Hornets once again etched their name into NBA infamy. The franchise known for decades of ineptitude one-upped themselves during a three-game road swing in Portland, Sacramento, and Golden State, when they lost games by 53, 42, and 36 points respectively.

In the first game of that stretch, a 141-88 loss to the Trail Blazers, star point guard LaMelo Ball played the worst game of his NBA career. Per Basketball Reference's catch-all statistic 'game score,' the 0.9 number Ball posted was only better than one outing in his NBA tenure: the first game of his career, a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

I went back and re-watched all of Ball's 21 minutes to figure out how Portland slowed down the effervescent ball handler. The re-watch illuminated some of Ball's consistent struggles while also reinforcing some of his otherworldly strengths. Let's take a look.

Flustered by physical point of attack defense

Toumani Camara, a first-time member of the NBA's All-Defense Team, relished the opportunity to frustrate Ball when the duo were matched up. Camara hounded LaMelo the length of the court possession after possession, allowing the former All-Star little wiggle room to find shots.

Camara's pick-up point against Ball averaged out to be around half court, rarely leaving Ball's pocket the length of the floor's 94 feet. When Charlotte attempted to manufacture space for LaMelo with screens, Camara slithered over them, making sure Ball was unable to pull up for his patented three-point stroke (Ball entered the game having hit a three-pointer in 56 straight contests - the streak ended in Portland).

When Camara hit the bench, Jerami Grant took a turn against Ball. Like Camara, Grant played physical, handsy defense over the length of the hardwood, making Ball work for every inch of space. The pair were phenomenal in frustrating Ball with their physicality.

Long-time Hornets' followers know that while LaMelo is one of the league's most talented ball handlers, shot makers, and passers, most of his craft is exhibited in space, not through contact. Portland knew that, and the clear number one bullet at the top of their game plan was to make Ball work through physicality, and they nailed their assignment.

Every time Ball got downhill towards the basket a Trail Blazers defender did an immaculate job at defending without fouling. Each of Portland's physical perimeter defenders used their chest to meet Ball, moved their feet laterally, and played with pristine verticality when he went up for a shot. To guard a shifty ball handler like LaMelo without fouling is a Herculean task, and Portland was up for the fight.

Varied coverages

For most of Ball's 21 minutes of action, Portland sent his defender over screens to limit LaMelo's airspace beyond the three-point line. It proved to be the most effective option in limiting Ball's impact on the game as he found answers when Chauncey Billups switched up his plan on defense.

In one instance, Ball's defender went under a Mark Williams screen while Donovan Clingan played at the level, allowing Ball to step into an open look from downtown. He missed, but the freedom LaMelo had was short lived as Portland didn't defend a PnR action that way for the rest of the night.

Late in the first quarter Portland blitzed LaMelo Ball, and before the Blazers could really make him uncomfortable, Ball slipped an early pass to Moussa Diabate who finished a contested lay up.

Those two plays were a pair that defined a larger theme in this game: for as frustrated as Portland made Ball, he continuously made the right play. His abysmal shooting percentage (1/10 from the field, 0/4 from three), and two assists look symptomatic of a massive problem on paper, but upon rewatching the contest, Ball's jumper and his teammates let him down.

Taking advantage of Portland's aggression

The Trail Blazers' 'anybody but LaMelo Ball' plan worked to perfection because Ball's teammates couldn't lift up their star playmaker. Outside of Ball, the team shot 5/28 from three, and a number of those looks were created by their mercurial point guard's audacious play making gifts.

When Ball operated without a screen, Portland heavily shaded their defense toward Ball. A true double team was never sent, but LaMelo's driving lanes were collapsed before he even had a chance to put the ball on the deck because he was seeing a wall of defenders sloughed into the paint off Charlotte's shooters.

Diabate finished the aforementioned layup off of a blitzed pick-and-roll, but when Ball was forced to dish kick outs to Tidjane Salaun, Josh Green, and Nick Smith Jr., the looks Ball created went begging due to missed shots or poor decisions.

Ball isn't without blame, though.

When afforded a reprieve from Camara, Grant, Deni Avdija, or Shaedon Sharpe's visceral defensive intensity, Ball was unable to take advantage.

When he did create space with his deadly step back, Ball failed to knock down shots. When he did put his head down and get a paint touch, Ball was unable to finish a contested lay up. Yes, his teammates let him down, but LaMelo missed a bevy of good looks that also allowed the lopsided score to rack up in Portland's favor.

Main takeaways

Ball needs to get better against physical defenses. Portland's host of long-armed guard/wing defenders clearly frustrated the general of Charlotte's attack, to the point that he eventually failed to run back on defense after missing a contested shot at the rim, allowing an open transition three for Simons.

It could be added strength, it could be finding counters at the basket, but Portland laid out the blueprint for how to slow down Ball, and he needs to make adjustments. The strategy the Blazers rolled out is one that every serious team can replicate come April/May as we've seen in the last two months of playoff basketball, and one that Ball has yet to face on the biggest stage.

With that said, Charlotte also needs an influx of shot making talent (Kon Knueppel or Tre Johnson, anybody?). The team needs a secondary creator to play off Ball, but when he created looks against the Blazers' overactive defense, the Hornets supporting cast was unable to make Portland pay.

It's a two-way street, Charlotte as a whole needs to get better, and so does their best player. If Ball is in Jeff Peterson and Charles Lee's long-term plans, he has some growing to do (much like rival point guard Cade Cunningham did last year) in order to lead Charlotte to the promised land.