Bill Simmons Praises LaMelo Ball With Hilarious Analogy: 'He Just Knows How to Drive'

By now, there's plenty of evidence that Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball isn't the best driver. He was just involved in a car accident a few weeks ago, and he has had other incidents captured by fans near the Spectrum Center. It's not his strong suit.

So he may not be the best behind the wheel, but he's absolutely at his best when behind the wheel of Charlotte's offense. This has been true for a long time, but he and the team are really putting it all together in 2025-26.

Bill Simmons, an honorary Hornets fan this season, has taken notice, and he wanted to give Ball credit as a "real winner" this year. He heaped praise on Ball while delivering an ironic, hilarious analogy for the guard's skills.

🎙️ @BillSimmons: "LaMelo Ball is a real winner this season."

"He's actually had seasons with better 'stats.' This is a classic eye test; you have to watch it. I love the way he's playing... there's real thoughtfulness in how he's playing the point guard position now and how he's… pic.twitter.com/fEju1PlkIZ
— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) March 23, 2026

"He's actually had seasons with better 'stats.' This is a classic eye test; you have to watch it. I love the way he's playing," Simmons said to Zach Lowe. "There's real thoughtfulness in how he's playing the point guard position now and how he's not as risky and reckless as he was. He doesn't seem like he's in an AND1 tournament anymore."

He believes Ball has matured significantly. "[Ball] understands they have these two incredible wings... Kon Knueppel has a chance to get 300 made threes, which would be nuts. Brandon Miller, when you watch him, this is like the best version of Paul George in the 2010s," Simmons added before delivering the hilarious metaphor.

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) dribbles the ball during the first quarter | Brian Westerholt-Imagn Images

"LaMelo's really good at using them, at using Moussa Diabate... he just knows how to drive the car," he said. He couldn't have picked a more ironic analogy to use, but it's actually incredibly accurate. His stats aren't necessarily up this year, but the Hornets' offense is incredible, and some of his analytics are outstanding.

Lowe added that Ball has always been driving the car in Charlotte, people just haven't been able to judge him fairly or properly. "Everybody got so disgusted with the 5-6 crazy things he would do every game that they unjustifiably dismissed all the statistical indicators that he was actually good and actually was driving Charlotte's offense at a high level when he was on the floor," he said.

This year, that's all come to a head. Charlotte is 11.9 points better when he's on the floor. His offensive rating is in the top 20 of every single NBA player, including some with just a handful of minutes.

He's been excellent, and when the car's driver is that good, the vehicle usually goes to really great places.

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