What is LaMelo Ball's ceiling with the Charlotte Hornets?

How good can the point guard really be?

Oct 26, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) drives to the basket against Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) and forward Jimmy Butler (22) during the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Nell Redmond-Imagn Images | Nell Redmond-Imagn Images

We've already seen how good LaMelo Ball is. Charlotte Hornets fans know he can shoot with seemingly limitless range and modest if unspectacular efficiency. He can pass with the best of them, sometimes making passes no one else would even attempt - for better and worse. His defense is not good, but he's a solid rebounder for a guard.

But how good could he be? At 24, it's hard to argue that he is or has been in his athletic prime, especially with a lighter workload in the previous five NBA seasons, thanks to his injuries. With a better situation, more maturity, and better health, what is Ball's ceiling in Charlotte?

How good can LaMelo Ball really be?

Oct 15, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) sets the play as New York Knicks guard Pacome Dadiet (4) and New York Knicks guard Cameron Payne (1) defend during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images

It used to be that the Charlotte Hornets capped a player's ceiling. Because of the perceived organizational issues, a player could only ever be so good in Charlotte. That may or may not be the case anymore with the Jeff Peterson regime.

Ball has had individually good seasons in different categories, but they've never really happened at the same time. He averaged 25.2 points per game last season, a career-high. His career high in assists (8.4) came in 2022-2023. He had the most rebounds (6.7) in 2021-2022.

His best shooting percentage came in 2020-2021. By true shooting, 2023-2024 was his best season. What if he put all of that together in one season? How good would he be? It's not likely that Ball is ever going to average career highs across the board in one season, unfortunately.

With lower usage and better teammates around him, we can reasonably expect lower scoring outputs, higher assist numbers, and better efficiency. So that 25.2 points per game mark is not going to bet in 2025-2026, which, thanks to an on-paper wildly improved supporting cast, could be his best year.

Ball's ceiling is probably a season with the following slash line: 22 points/5 rebounds/8 assists. In that same season, he'll probably shoot 45% from the field, 37% from three, and have a 56% true shooting percentage.

Is that an All-NBA ceiling? Maybe. It would depend on the other players that year, and it would (sadly) depend on how good the Hornets are. Ball is entering his prime right at the same time that Charlotte has really improved their roster. So if he can stay healthy, we might get a good look at Ball's ceiling with the Hornets really soon.

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