LaMelo Ball earns unfortunate title amongst NBA players

With the NBA season right around the corner, many analysts are compiling notes and dropping lists. One gives a detailed view of the five most overrated players for next year.

LaMelo Ball earned the top spot on the list, according to Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley. It's a label sure to stir debate among fans. While Ball’s talent is undeniable, the hype surrounding him often overshadows his actual impact on the court. Yes, he boasts flashy handles, deep-range shooting, and elite court vision, but his inconsistent efficiency, lack of defensive presence, and limited team success raise eyebrows when his name is mentioned among the league’s elite.

Here's what Buckley said about Ball. 

"There are few players who are more fun to watch—on and off the court—than Charlotte's flashy floor general. Ball is a social-media star and a highlight-waiting-to-happen, as he pairs both in-the-gym shooting range with some of the most inventive passes you'll find in the Association.

"While he can (and often does) overstuff a stat sheet, though, it all looks like there's way more sizzle than actual substance. Maybe that's the byproduct of playing on some bad teams in Buzz City, but he has enough box-score blemishes to question his ability to contribute to winning basketball.

"He draws almost mythical praise as this offensive savant, but the numbers don't buy it. A lack of offensive support can only forgive so much inefficiency. While he averaged a career-best 25.2 points this past season, he did so while posting a career-worst 53.6 percent true shooting percentage. It marked the fifth-worst shooting rate among the 162 times a player has averaged 25-plus points since 2010.

"And since his ingenious passes are often interspersed with careless mistakes, there's never been this cavernous gap between his averages in assists (7.4 for his career) and turnovers (3.3). He's also on a three-year run of delivering negative defensive box plus/minuses.

"Oh, he's also made more than 51 appearances in just one of his first five NBA seasons. Over the past three seasons, he has suited up in just 105 of a possible 246 games. For context, that's 24 fewer appearances than Zion Williamson, perhaps the league's poster child for injury-prone stars.

"At least when Williamson suits up, great things tend to happen (25.1 career PER, 24.2 win shares). And unless we're talking viral views or social media impressions, the same just can't be said of Ball (18.9 and 13.6, respectively). He might be regarded as a star in stature, but in terms of statistical value, his name recognition carries a lot more weight than his actual numbers."

Ball averaged solid numbers in 2024–25, but much of his production came in meaningless games for a struggling Charlotte Hornets team. His 38% shooting from the field and frequent turnovers were a problem when he was healthy. For all the talk of his potential, the Hornets have failed to make significant strides in the postseason and haven't even reached it during his tenure.

This ranking isn’t meant to dismiss his skillset, but rather to question the scale of admiration. Being a highlight-reel staple doesn’t always equate to winning basketball.

Until Ball translates style into consistent, winning play and elevates his team’s performance, it’s fair to scrutinize whether the praise outweighs the production.