LaMelo Ball is not playing right now due to an injury, but that is not stopping some unflattering claims from emerging about him.
The work ethic of the Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball is coming into question this week from an anonymous NBA scout. Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN quoted the scout as saying that Ball supposedly “doesn’t take basketball seriously enough.”
“Yes, he’s talented, but he doesn’t take basketball seriously enough,” said the scout. “It’s hard to build a winner with him because of how he plays, and the liberties he takes for himself when he plays.”
At 24 years old, Ball does indeed have a very divisive style of play. He shoots three-pointers at an absurd rate (10.0 attempts per contest this season), showboats on the court regularly, and often commits turnovers by trying for the highlight-reel pass. While Ball’s counting numbers (23.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 9.8 assists per game this year) look very good, they do not necessarily tell the entire story of the Ball experience.
If Ball also has behind-the-scenes work ethic concerns beyond that, it adds one more layer of uncertainty to the former All-Star guard’s long-term outlook. For another, Ball has appeared in just 75 total games over the last two-plus seasons combined due to injury and is now sidelined once again due to an impingement in his troublesome right ankle.
When it comes to the now for the Hornets, they are 3-6 on the early season (12th in the East), and Ball is more so making the news lately due to getting fined by the NBA. While Ball is still signed all the way until 2029 (making over $40 million per year on average), Charlotte definitely has to be doing some pondering about him right now.
