DeMarcus Cousins goes to bat for LaMelo Ball, criticizes the Hornets' front office

Among the many things that Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball has been criticized for over the years is his leadership, or lack thereof. Ball's play style and laid-back personality have convinced many that he's not a leader and that, as a result, the Hornets will never win anything with him at the helm.

Typically, former players like to pile on with that. Chandler Parsons is a prime example, as he routinely talks down on Ball. Ironically, on a podcast with Parsons, DeMarcus Cousins stood up for Ball, criticizing the Hornets for not giving Ball what he has needed to develop into that player and that leader.

🎙️ @boogiecousins: "The blame is always on the player. What is this organization doing to help this kid reach that next level? Since (LaMelo Ball)'s been with the Hornets, I have yet to see a true veteran presence to guide him into being a leader..." 🤔pic.twitter.com/fGG1s1T4fS
— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) October 29, 2025

"The blame is always on the player. What is this organization doing to help this kid reach that next level? Since he's been with the Hornets, I have yet to see a true veteran presence to guide him into being a leader," Cousins said.

He said the narrative has always been about Ball's leadership, performance, and more, but the point guard has, according to Cousins, never had an example of that with the Hornets. "That's on the organization," the former Sacramento Kings star said.

In Ball's rookie year, his veteran (if such a word can be used here) point guard mentors were Devonte Graham, Brad Wanamaker, and Grant Riller. To the Hornets' credit, the next year, it was Ish Smith and Isaiah Thomas. Coincidentally, the team won 43 games.

In 2022-2023, Theo Maledon and Dennis Smith Jr. backed Ball up, and that's not exactly a veteran leadership team behind him. Frank Ntilikina and Vasilije Micic have spent some time backing Ball up and helping as a mentor, so it's not hard to see what Cousins is talking about.

Of course, now Ball is the veteran in the locker room, and he's been around enough to have learned some things. Because of that and an improved roster around him, the Hornets look much better in 2025-26 than they have before, so perhaps if the Hornets had tried to help Ball a little earlier, they might not have been one of the worst teams in the NBA for the last few years.

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