The National Basketball Association is starving for its next star—the guy who resonates with modern basketball and how its consumers want it represented. Granted, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, in their late-30s, still patrol arenas with maximum attention and capture the gaze and WhatsApp groups of even the casual basketball fans. And yes, Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid (when he is not shoving reporters and getting a dressing down from teammates) are reaching a peak level of performance that will see them command a place amongst the league’s greats when they are done (which we all appreciate). Yet, it still feels the association is yearning for its next face of the league.
Ideally, that's an American—sorry, Shai Gilgeous-Alexande r, Luka Dončić and Victor Wembanyama. Preferably, it's 25 or under—apologies, Jayson Tatum. And the ability to bring their highlight reel basketball to the court night in and night out—not you, Zion Williamson, I'm afraid. Frankly, it's the agenda being pushed by the (mainly and understandably US) media from all quarters.
Two years ago, it seemed that Ja Morant would grab the status as he headlined a cocky but confident, young Memphis Grizzlies side. But his troubles—on and off the court—have stagnated his development and, ultimately, his trajectory.
In many people’s eyes, Anthony Edwards is the heir apparent to such a tag. His electric skill and vicious no-care-for-nobody attitude (even his idol Durant) spearheaded the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Conference Finals last campaign, earned him a place on the star-studded USA basketball team that won gold in the Paris Olympics, and has catapulted him into the discussions of one of the baddest and hardest around. Even with a middling start to the season from the Timberwolves (a game below .500), Edwards is still operating in All-NBA territory. But what about the guy in his draft class? No, not Tyrese Haliburton, though he is still a pretty good player even if he is going through a rough patch this season. You know, the Chino Hills high schooler who became an internet teen sensation for the unorthodox, daring shots that wouldn't look out of place in the Golden State 2014-18 championship-winning system (and his dad)—LaMelo Ball. Can he? Will he? Why won't he?
Is it LaMelo's Time?
Nine years later, with growing pains stints in Australia and his father's, Lavar, created league in Lithuania, as well as a mix with various pathways to the NBA, Ball is still untouched, unchanged, and bold as ever—so is his game.
While his brother, Lonzo, has always been the measured and league-chiseled individual, LaMelo has always presented as the opposite. The pair are the first and only set of brothers to both be drafted in the top 3 in an NBA draft. Their talent was revered as soon as they were thrust into the media spotlight for different reasons.
Lonzo’s game, especially at the collegial level with UCLA, was adapted to translate into the league with little to no faults. So was that very path—planned and calculated—all the way to the LA Lakers. On the other hand, LaMelo, as it tends to be, is filled with risk, whether that's a deep-3 unprovoked or spending a season with the Illawarra Hawks in the NLB before declaring for the draft. He has always been approached with a cautious but alluring question mark—how does such a rare and elusive skillset unfold in basketball’s elite division? The size, playmaking wizardry and sharpshooting quality are as desirable as they are to a more moldable risk-averse profile packaged up for the gruel of post-season basketball.
For LaMelo and the Charlotte Hornets, this season has been a refreshing stretch of functioning, which his body has been devoid of in the past. The past summer has seen a lot of strengthening and conditioning done, especially on the ankles, which troubled him so much in his early-career years. The confidence in motion shows that, from the audacious lofted step-backs to the touch drives to the basket (with only Gilgeous-Alexander and De'Aaron Fox scoring more from drive points).
The numbers behind the usage
LaMelo, into the second year of a max extension, boasts an absurd 38.9 usage rate as the primary hub of the Hornets' offence, which is third in NBA history behind MVP Russell Westbrook and ‘18-19 James Harden, according to basketball.reference, and is personally (I) succeeding with such a responsibility. He’s scoring a career-high in points (31—second in the league) and field goal percentage (44%), whilst making 4.5 threes on a league-best 12.7 attempts per game.
LaMelo’s game attracts an immediate gaze, even more so when he puts up numbers like that. However, with that comes another set of eyes, the ones judging where his development goes from here. Remember that question mark mentioned earlier? Well, it will prevail with LaMelo as it does with all burgeoning superstars. Is the type of high-volume and chaotically unscathed basketball conducive to winning at the highest level? Possibly not. In the 11 games that the 23-year-old has registered 30+ points, the Hornets have only won three of them, with an average box plus/minus (BPM) of -0.5—hovering around the season BPM of Dalton Knecht, Jaden Ivey and Amir Coffey.
Defensive concerns and roster fit
With a 6-foot-7 frame, LaMelo can be disruptive on defence against smaller guards but can still be gotten at on the other side of the ball in a lapse, which leads to him committing unnecessary fouls in late attempts to stop opposition; his 4.7 personal fouls per game lead the league.
Overall, the Hornets squad is fair where it is—not too far from tanking prospects, but near enough middling mediocrity. Brandon Miller is the other franchise guy on the team, a bright slasher who can spread the floor. But apart from that, it is a roster full of sub-par role players, probably geared for asset searching, with or without LaMelo’s basketball.
Even with those factors, the constant flowing ingenuity to create ridiculous offensive plays for himself and those around him is one that provides its only value greater than simply winning games for the Hornets, even in the dire East—a sense of meaning. Suppose the Hornets were to move forward with LaMelo and Miller as key franchise guys; it's conceivable to see them making a way into contention for a post-season spot in a couple of seasons if surrounded by smart recruitment. However, for now, knowing that LaMelo will produce the most authentic, unapologetic version of himself and his basketball is an envious starting point that should guide the Hornets away from irrelevancy.
