Two-time NBA champion Isiah Thomas shared his honest take on LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets. Ball is one of the most entertaining players to watch in the league, but there has been discussion about whether he’s a winning player.
Speaking on the NBA Showdown on Peacock, the Detroit Pistons legend gave an eye-opening message for Ball. Thomas, who was the main guy for the “Bad Boy” Pistons, seems to have an answer on how the former Rookie of the Year can turn into a more serious baller.
“The decision he has to make: Does he wanna entertain and be a fun guy or does he wanna win? Right now, he’s an entertainer, fun guy. All the players around the league likes him. When they start hating him and disliking him, that’s when he’ll start winning,” Thomas said, via TalkBasket.
Since Ball was drafted third overall in 2020, the Hornets have not made the playoffs. They qualified for the NBA Play-In Tournament twice, but they were blown out both times in the first round. The most wins Charlotte has had with Ball in a season is 43 during the 2022-23 campaign.
NBA Exec Labels Ball as Unserious
While the Charlotte Hornets have not made LaMelo Ball available via trade, he has been surrounded by plenty of rumors this season. Ball is averaging 19.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game, while shooting an abysmal 39.6% from the field.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Bobby Marks named Ball, along with Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks and Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies, as All-Star guards “stuck in limbo.”
An anonymous Western Conference executive told MacMahon and Marks that Ball’s talent was intriguing, but the thing that turns off other front office people about him is that he doesn’t take the game seriously.
“Nobody has ever questioned the talent. But he’s just so unserious,” the exec said.
Another exec said, “He’s definitely one of the top three most talented guards in the league. But every (scouting) report I write on him has the word ‘Globetrotter’ in it.”
An anonymous scout added doubts about Ball being a winning player, believing that not one team can be successful with him as the franchise player.
Hornets Core Features Ball
The Charlotte Hornets have struck gold in Kon Knueppel, who has been fantastic as a rookie this season. Brandon Miller has shown promise in his third season, but he still needs to show that he can be healthy.
LaMelo Ball’s talent is there, but he has also faced ankle problems in the past three seasons. Ball has been linked to trade rumors, though Orel Dizon of Swarm & Sting believes the trio can be successful.
However, the Hornets will need to make some moves.
“The organization has a lot of work to do to improve its bottom-ranked defense. And if the plan is to continue building the roster through Ball, Miller, and Knueppel, it has to come to grips with the reality that it needs to bring in defensive reinforcements at the big man positions,” Dizon wrote.
At 24 years old, Ball hasn’t even entered his prime. He also has three years left in his contract after this season.
NBA Legend Delivers Brutally Honest Take on LaMelo Ball