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Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The 3 keys to unlocking LaMelo Ball's max potential, aside from health

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Colin Keane | Last updated Aug 23, 2025 10:57 AM ET

Although Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball has all the talent in the world, he hasn’t approached his ceiling as an NBA player.

Injuries have been the biggest factor flattening Ball’s developmental curve, but there are other basketball adjustments within his control that LaMelo should focus on if he wants to establish himself as a franchise player.

Ball, who turned 24 on Friday, still has time to grow into the two-way star that he’s capable of becoming, but there’s no time like the present, and 2025-26 figures t o be somewhat of a “prove-it” year for the one-time All-Star.

Here are the three keys to LaMelo unlocking his max potential (besides staying healthy).

The 3 keys for LaMelo Ball to unlock his maximum potential

1. Make the easy pass

Like the great Pistol Pete Maravich before him, LaMelo often operates as one part basketball player, one part entertainer, and we mean that as a high compliment. Few players in the history of the game have possessed the charisma and skill set to pull off both roles, but Ball has always been that guy, and a comparison to the Pistol does not come cheap.

To be clear, Ball’s flair needs to remain. It’s a huge part of what makes him — and thus, the Hornets — a compelling watch, and the NBA would be w orse off if LaMelo decided to start playing like Andre Miller.

However, Charlotte would benefit from a competitive standpoint if Melo focused on making the simple pass more often. A good player to model himself after in this regard is Steve Nash, who was another guard with entertainment value dripping off him like sweat.

But Nash also knew when to rein in his spicy passing and morph into a clinical surgeon as a pick-and-roll decision-maker, and he has 57 career playoff victories attesting to that.

Some fans won’t be happy to hear it, but LaMelo needs to be a bit more boring on offense when the occasion calls for it.

2. Take fewer contested threes off the dribble

Ball is way too gifted a shooter to have a career 36.5 three-point percentage. He shot a career-high 11.2 threes per game in 2025-26 while hitting a career-worst percentage of them (33.9).

The solution here for Ball isn’t to take 100 additional uncontested jumpers per day in an empty gym over the summer; his touch is already elite. Rather, LaMelo should capitalize on those uncontested looks when they arrive in NBA games, all while limiting other types of attempts from beyond the arc.

Ball’s wizardry as a dribbler and his fast-twitch first step allow him to get at least a bit of separation whenever he wants, which is what makes his step-back three such a tempting move to resort to.

But part of taking the next step as a player is realizing that just because you can do something on the court doesn’t mean you should (unless it contributes to winning).

Taking a contested three at the end of the shot clock is one thing, but if LaMelo started passing up contested threes in favor of attempting to get into the paint, he’d end up creating a better shot for someone else more often than not.

Melo is way too good a ball-handler and passer to be settling for threes when he could be picking apart defenses off the bounce.

3. Commit to improving as a defender

This is the most important one for LaMelo. It doesn’t take much NBA research to realize that two-way players win in this league.

Look at the last two champions as examples. The Oklahoma City Thunder are full of two-way demons, not excluding reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Boston Celtics were powered by a pair of two-way wings in 2024, not to mention Boston’s impossibly elite two-way guard combo of Derrick White and Jrue Holiday from that season.

Then there’s the other side of the coin with Luka Dončić, who is probably the most gifted offensive player in the world bu t causes problems for his team due to his defense (see: 2024 NBA Finals).

On the defensive spectrum between Dončić and Gilgeous-Alexander, Ball can’t afford to be closer to Dončić.

It’s an effort and interest thing for Ball. While he’s not among the strongest guards in the NBA, he certainly has the length and quickness to be a more disruptive defender than he’s shown in his career. If he decides to commit more of his energy to the defensive end, he’d become a better overall player.

Besides, the Hornets have begun to add some offensive weapons beyond Ball and Brandon Miller that should help make the above adjustment a wise one for LaMelo.

Take some pointers from Lonzo!