What's going on with LaMelo Ball? The Hornets' star is in a major funk

LaMelo Ball was on an insane run at the beginning of the season for the Charlotte Hornets, but recently he has seemingly not been himself. It could be for a variety of reasons, whether it's the physicality of his opponents, being checked out, confidence issue, ankle soreness, or maybe a mixture of all of those things.

Ball averaged 31.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.9 assists, while shooting 43.9% from the field and 35.6% from three on 13 attempts in his first 18 games, across the months of October and November.

However, recently, his play has been far off of those numbers. In his last nine games, Ball is averaging under 18 points per game, while his shooting splits are the lowest of his NBA career. He's shooting just 35% from the field and 32% from three on nine attempts.

In fact, in the month of February, Ball averaged just 14.8 points per game, while shooting 32.9% from the field and 28.9% from three.

So, with that in mind, these recent struggles have become rather noticeable, as he hasn't shot over 40% from the field since February 19th.

There's a lot to think about with these recent struggles of the Hornets' star player, as he was having a career-best season.

Mar 5, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) controls the ball as he is defended by Minnesota Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (00) during the first half at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images | Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

Could LaMelo Ball be checked out from the disappointing season? The Hornets are well out of the playoff race and only have 14 wins on the entire season. He's also had to carry the Hornets throughout the season when most of their players have been injured.

He hasn't looked the same since that Lakers game on February 19th. His opponents have solely locked in on him with all of the Hornets injuries, and they've also played more physically with him, which is seemingly a big cause of those struggles.

Ball, who doesn't get to the free-throw line that often, has struggled to play through contact, which is something that he needs to improve on in the future if the Hornets and Ball want to be successful.

With 20 games remaining on the season, it would be nice to see if Ball could get back into the rhythm he was once in at the beginning parts of the season. There's been a lot of conversation and dialogue surrounding Ball and his future with the Hornets and the upcoming remaining games could play a huge part in that, even in yet another lost season.

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