LaMelo Ball Coming Off the Bench: Hornets’ Experiment Already a Problem

The Charlotte Hornets’ strategy of starting LaMelo Ball off the bench in the first games of back-to-backs, aimed at reducing his injury risk, is proving far more complicated than expected.

In the three games this approach has been applied, Charlotte has recorded only losses. The most alarming stat concerns the scoring runs allowed in the first minutes without LaMelo on the court: 6-16 against Indiana, 17-24 against Golden State, and 2-13 against Cleveland.

Worsening the situation is Ball’s declining performance. In the loss to the Cavaliers, the former Chino Hills star looked frustrated, finishing with a poor stat line: 2 points, 1/15 from the field, and 0/10 from three in just 22 minutes.

After the game, coach Charles Lee criticized his point guard’s offensive decisions without naming him directly, pointing to a lack of ball movement, excessive isolation plays, and an unconvincing tempo.

In the second quarter, we didn’t move the ball well, there were too many isolations, and the pace we had didn’t please me.

Charles Lee

The Hornets’ coaching staff experiment doesn’t seem to be working, especially since Collin Sexton and Sion James can’t provide adequate playmaking in the absence of the team’s number one. LaMelo Ball remains a fragile and inconsistent talent, but these Hornets simply cannot do without his offensive impact.