Fate is on the Hornets’ side for once. LaMelo Ball has them reaching new heights
The mood couldn’t have been more different on this night between two franchises forever linked thanks to that fateful November day in 2020.
As Golden State coach Steve Kerr addressed the media some 244 miles away down I-85 in Atlanta, discussing how the Warriors were shutting down James Wiseman for the rest of the season, LaMelo Ball bounced onto the Charlotte Hornets’ classic, honeycomb-themed retro court. The star point guard acknowledged four young fans who screamed out his name, giving them a wave as he sauntered to meet assistant coach Marlon Garnett for their usual pregame warmup session.
Ball extended his right arm toward his good buddy Miles Bridges, going into their personal handshake routine and flashing that million-dollar megawatt smile. He was in his element, preparing to deliver the kind of exciting plays that get a rise out of the large crowds the Hornets now frequently play in front of and captivates the thousands of onlookers tuned into their television broadcasts.
“Ever since Melo came in, everybody’s been coming to the games,” Bridges said following their 107-101 victory over Utah on Friday night. “So big shoutout to Melo, getting us ready for the playoffs having that type of crowd out there. Kudos to our fans. They’ve been a big help to us, a sixth man for us this year. They’ve been amazing for us.”
Patrons keep flocking to Spectrum Center to catch a glimpse of a young team headlined by Ball, and that didn’t change with the Jazz in town. The Hornets recorded their 12th sellout of the season, the most since they had that many in 2014-15.
Attendance has jumped 10.1 percent since 2019-20, which is the second-highest leap trailing only Chicago’s 10.7 percent, and the number of fans who’ve come through the turnstiles this season puts the Hornets on pace to finish 15th in the NBA. That would mark the franchise’s best season in attendance since 1999-00.
It all reflects the increased interest in the Hornets since Ball arrived and injected a much-needed breath of fresh air into the organization. Heading into the draft, the team’s brass wasn’t sure who was going to fall into their lap out of the trio of Ball, Wiseman and Anthony Edwards. Wiseman seemed to be just what they were missing and the Hornets would’ve probably been just as pleased if the talented big man remained on the board when it came time for them to make the third selection overall minutes after Minnesota picked Edwards at No. 1.
But when Golden State passed on Ball, thinking Wiseman would be the perfect complement to their sensational duo of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, that might turn out to be one of the best things to ever happen to the Hornets.
Let’s begin by making this clear: Injuries stink and it’s unfortunate what Wiseman is going through as he recovers from a right knee injury. Playing in just 39 games in his initial two seasons has to be frustrating. And Wiseman could still wind up being a better player than Ball long-term.
But if nothing else, it means the Hornets might have actually gotten lucky for once after all their draft-day missteps over the years since pro basketball returned to town in 2004.
It’s not going to completely erase the sharp pains created by some of the Hornets’ lottery picks. Like Adam Morrison, Noah Vonleh, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Frank Kaminski, to name a few. Still, Ball’s ascension at least gives the Hornets some hope, allowing a fan base to ponder the future possibilities.
There’s still plenty of room for Ball’s game to grow. Shot selection, locking in defensively and knowing when to slow the tempo are among the areas he must continue to master. But he has gifts and that’s why he’s already an All-Star before turning 21, becoming one of the youngest players ever to accomplish the extraordinary feat.
You can see it in the plays that turn into viral social media clips, like the one when he switched hands in mid-air against Utah and swooped in for a layup while getting fouled in the process. He’s finding ways to leave his impact on the game without scoring and excelled in crunch time Friday of a game that featured nine lead changes in the fourth quarter.
“Flying around, playing with a sense of urgency from the beginning,” Terry Rozier said. “Whether it was defense or offense. His shot wasn’t falling early, but he stuck with it. He’s our guy on the team. He can fly in on rebounds, obviously lead us in assists, can score – we are never worried about that. He played a great game today. We needed that.”
The 7:50 Ball logged in the final quarter was second to only the 8:09 of Isaiah Thomas. Despite connecting on just 2 of 7 attempts and posting four points, Ball’s fingerprints were still on the fourth quarter. He had three assists, a steal and didn’t turn the ball over, helping the Hornets outscore the Jazz by five.
“Melo keeps great pace for us out there,” coach James Borrego said. “He puts a lot of pressure on the defense even when he’s not making shots. He keeps our pace, the ball is moving. He put a lot of pressure on (Rudy) Gobert even when he wasn’t making shots. But I thought he dug in defensively. I thought he was very active defensively and that’s all we can ask of him.
“His growth there in the halfcourt in the fourth quarter was another step for him in the right direction. For us to close out against a very good team like this who’s going to make a big playoff run speaks volumes to the growth of not only Melo, but this young team.”
Another huge test for them looms on the horizon. The Hornets remain in ninth place in the Eastern Conference and climbed to within a half game of eighth-place Brooklyn, the team they square off against in New York on Sunday before returning back home for a date with Denver on Monday.
Winners of seven of their last eight games with the lone hiccup coming in their loss to the Knicks two nights earlier, the Hornets are getting hot at the appropriate time.
“We just try to control what we can control and just come out with some fire behind us,” Rozier said. “I think Wednesday, us watching film (of it Thursday), it just didn’t look right. They didn’t have Julius Randle, so we kind of played their roster. But tonight we had everybody from the beginning. And when we’re playing like that we’re a tough team to beat. That’s just what it is.”
This story was originally published March 26, 2022 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Fate is on the Hornets’ side for once. LaMelo Ball has them reaching new heights."
