Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball. Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

LaMelo Ball is still the Hornets' X factor

By Adam Taylor | Last updated Oct 1, 2024 2:44 PM ET

The Charlotte Hornets head into the new NBA season with a chance to contend for a spot in the play-in tournament. With a fully healthy roster and a new head coach, the franchise can finally take the next step in its rebuild. Of course, any immediate success the Hornets have will hinge on the availability of LaMelo Ball.

The flashy point guard has missed the majority of the past two seasons due to ankle issues. However, he has been cleared for full basketball activities heading into the 2024-25 preseason and will be ready to integrate into Charles Lee's new system. It would also appear that Brandon Miller is willing to take a step back so that his teammate can assume his spot at the top of the rotation.

“I'm so excited, man. Best IQ in the game. I think he's the best playmaker, he's gonna help us. Everyone's going to follow his lead, and we're going to be right there with him,” Miller said during a media meeting on Monday. “Without him it would be different as you saw last year. It's a new year, I see him doing great things this year. All-Star for him. I'm rooting for him.”

If Ball can stay healthy, his three-level scoring and elite playmaking should help unlock the talent around him. Miles Bridges and Miller have All-Star upside as scorers, and Grant Williams is one of the best catch-and-shoot threats from the corner three-point line in the NBA. Lee has a wealth of young and exciting talent at his disposal, and Ball is the metronome that can make everything around him tick.

Ball's last fully healthy season came in 2021-22 when he suited up for 75 games, averaging 20.1 points, 7.6 assists and 6.7 rebounds. He shot 38.9 percent from three-point range and 42.9 percent from the field that season. As such, the Hornets will undoubtedly hope his ankle issues are firmly behind him. If he has another setback this year, the front office may need to explore trading him so that the rest of the roster can continue developing and pushing forward.

For now, though, Hornets fans should be excited to see Ball back in the rotation and a full-strength team ready to compete. They finally have a young core that makes sense and can develop into a legitimate playoff contender. Ball will be the X factor regarding how far the team can go, but that's been true ever since the franchise drafted him in 2020.

Adam Taylor

Adam Taylor is a sports journalist based out of the UK. Adam has been covering the NBA for nearly a decade with a core focus on the Boston Celtics. He currently holds bylines with Yardbarker, SB Nation and USA Today

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