The Charlotte Hornets’ fourth-quarter meltdown against the LA Clippers on Sunday had star point guard LaMelo Ball feeling some type of way.
After the Hornets allowed the Clippers to go on a late 22-0 run and lost by a 120-106 final, Ball appeared to have a criticism of coach James Borrego.
“I feel like I’ve got to be in there longer for the fourth quarter, you feel me?” said Ball, per Ben Golliver of the Washington Post. “I feel like I came in a little late in the game.”
Ball, who is averaging 20.0 points in 30.4 minutes a game this year, exited at the end of the third quarter with the Hornets trailing 89-87. But he came into the game with 6:07 left and Charlotte leading 102-95. That means that the majority of the Clippers’ run actually came with Ball on the floor.
The 20-year-old Ball has been playing with a lot of juice this season. But his inconsistent defense causes him to cede a few minutes per game to reserves like Kelly Oubre or Caleb Martin. You do generally want the leader of your team to have the competitive attitude that Ball exhibited here. But he still has some room for improvement before he sees a true star’s workload of around 35-plus minutes per game.
Photo: Jul 5, 2019; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Basketball player LaMelo Ball in attendance of the New Orleans Pelicans against the New York Knicks game during the NBA Summer League at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
