It’s hard to believe that LaMelo Ball has already completed five years as an NBA pro.
During his stint, Ball hasn’t been criticized for failing to guide the Hornets to the playoffs — at least not as much as other top-three picks. The excuses have ranged from the Hornets’ developmental situation to Ball’s injuries. The latter excuse stems from Ball missing 169 of his team’s 400 games across five years due to various injuries.
At some point, though, the excuses begin to run dry, and the Hornets need to hold their $260M franchise player accountable.
After coaching Ball for just one season, Hornets rookie head coach Charles Lee has begun that process. During his season-ending interview on Monday, Lee publicly called out Ball for not taking his offseason more seriously, urging the former No. 3 pick to bulk up.
Lee also pointed out how Ball was a defensive liability and struggled against more physical teams due to his 180-pound frame.
“He’s got to get stronger,” Lee said of Ball, via Associated Press. “Teams are trying to deny him, trying to be physical, and you can see early in the year when teams did it, it definitely bothered him. As he got used to it, he got a lot more comfortable, so it’s going to start with his body. He’s got to get stronger and more conditioned to be able to play both sides of the ball and sustain efforts.”
Ball signed a five-year, $260M contract extension ahead of the 2023-24 season, keeping him with the Hornets through the 2028-29 season. However, some insiders believe the franchise is running out of patience with Ball and could eventually trade him.
The 23-year-old laughed off the trade rumors in his exit interview, furthering his reputation as a nonchalant, unserious NBA star. Ball also received a lot of flak earlier in the season for using an anti-gay slur on live television, for which the NBA fined him $100,000.
Ball needs to start behaving like an NBA pro if he wishes to enjoy a long career, and Lee’s criticism will hopefully wake him up.
