Steve Nash Praises LaMelo Ball for Maturity and 'Trimming the Fat' From His Game

For years, everyone around the NBA has poked at the Charlotte Hornets for not being a serious organization, and LaMelo Ball in particular, as someone who doesn't care about winning. The reality is, he wasn't on the floor consistently during that stretch and also didn't have a strong supporting cast to help him out.

So yeah, it's easy to read the box score every night and cherry-pick highlights where Ball takes a low-percentage shot, but that doesn't mean he has a low care factor. It was either he take a low-percentage shot or dish it to guys named DaQuan Jeffries, Svi Mykhailiuk, Theo Maledon, Dennis Smith Jr., JT Thor, Bryce McGowens, James Bouknight, and so on. Shall I keep going?

Let's not. We'll stop it right there, as that should be enough for everyone to understand that the group around him forced him to play a little more uncontrolled.

Now, he's healthy and has a full complement of bucket getters around him, and what do you know? The narrative is shifting around this team and Ball.

During halftime of Saturday's game against the San Antonio Spurs, Hall of Famer Steve Nash attributed the Hornets' early game success to LaMelo Ball's maturity.

🎙️ Steve Nash: "It's a mature performance. That's a team that looks like they can play playoff basketball. And you gotta give LaMelo Ball credit... he's really trimmed the fat out of his game." pic.twitter.com/MJ4SOrKdcG
— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) January 31, 2026

"It's a mature performance. That's a team that looks like they can play playoff basketball," Nash said. "And you gotta give LaMelo Ball credit... he's really trimmed the fat out of his game. His ability to make threes, to penetrate, touch the paint, he’s an elite passer. (Moussa) Diabate has four assists (at halftime), and that goes to LaMelo drawing two, getting the ball on the short roll with lots of space and time to make simple decisions, so I think the maturity of that performance has to be a lot of credit given to LaMelo Ball.”

With Brandon Miller healthy, a sharpshooting three-level scorer in Kon Knueppel, and Miles Bridges playing some of the best basketball of his career, Ball doesn't have to shoulder nearly as much of the responsibility on the offensive end, thus creating a more efficient brand of basketball.

- MORE STORIES FROM CHARLOTTE HORNETS ON SI -

Collin Sexton Had His Deion Sanders Moment as the Hornets Grab the NBA’s Attention

Charlotte Hornets Trade Deadline Mailbag Part One: Collin Sexton's future, Bench Upgrades, and more

Takeaways from the Charlotte Hornets' victory over Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs

Kon Knueppel Reflects on Hornets' Clutch Win vs. Mavs: 'We're Going to Stay Hot'