ESPN NBA Insider Questions If Hornets' LaMelo Ball Is a Franchise Player

Charlotte Hornets star point guard LaMelo Ball has yet to make the playoffs in his four seasons with the team, despite putting up impressive stats over the years. So, can he really become a winning player?

An expert has doubts.

On a new episode of the essential “The Hoop Collective Podcast,” ESPN's Tim MacMahon spoke about Ball's limitations and ceiling in the league.

“I don’t know if LaMelo Ball can play winning basketball,” MacMahon said. “I don’t know if LaMelo Ball can be the franchise player that wins, because he has a pretty empty-calorie game. I mean, the guy can fill up a scoreboard, but his efficiency — even though he’s been shooting pretty well from the three-point range — sucks. His defense is horrible. And I don’t see a lot of evidence that this guy is a priority for winning.”

The 23-year-old has had a tantalizing start to his NBA career.

After being selected by Charlotte with the third overall pick behind James Wiseman (a selection the Golden State Warriors would almost certainly make a decision on now), the 6-foot-7 point guard was named Rookie of the Year in a draft class that also included Minnesota Timberwolves All-NBA shooting guard Anthony Edwards, the No. 1 pick that year.

During the 2021-22 season, Ball was named an All-Star alternate, and his numbers improved across the board. That year, the Chino Hills native played in a career-high 75 games, averaging 20.1 points (on .429/.389/.872 shooting), 7.6 assists (against 3.3 turnovers), 6.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals.

The Hornets finished the season with a respectable 43-39 record, good for 10th place in the Eastern Conference. They lost their play-in game to the Atlanta Hawks 132-103.

Since then, Ball has not had much luck health-wise.

Over the past two seasons, Ball has been limited to just 58 regular-season games total. When he has played, he has, as MacMahon points out, put up impressive numbers. In the games he has played, he has averaged 23.5 points on .419/.369/.850 shooting averages, 8.3 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals per night.

Ball's career has been interrupted by injuries to his right ankle over the past two seasons.

Whether Ball is actually or not East As a franchise player, he's certainly being paid as such. Next year, Ball is set to enter the first season of a now-debatable five-year, $203.9 million contract extension. Will Charlotte regret this choice in the long run?

Without Ball for much of the 2023-24 season, the team finished with a paltry 21-61 record. That run earned Charlotte the No. 6 pick in the 2024 NBA draft, which the Hornets used on French power forward Tidjane Salaün. It remains to be seen whether his addition, the improvement of 2024 All-Rookie First Team forward Brandon Miller, and a possibly healthier run from Ball will help Charlotte rack up a few more wins in 2024-25.

Learn more: Charlotte Hornets News: Young All-Star Officially Ends His Season