19-year-old LaMelo Ball is Charlotte’s most famous basketball player, and not just because of the headlines his family likes to create. Melo, who played in Australia’s NBL before his transition to the league, has shown flashes of his potential as a scorer and playmaker.
Unfortunately, his minutes have taken a noticeable dip recently, and Hornets coach James Borrego gave a pretty blunt explanation as to why…
“If you’re turning the ball over five times in 16 minutes, that ain’t gonna cut it for me,” Borrego said Saturday, via The Charlotte Observer. “If you’re doing that on the offensive end, you better be bringing something defensively.
“… He had a stretch where he played extremely well. We need to find that again. He’s got to get better, bottom line. He’s engaged, he wants to get better. He’s capable of handling it.”
"If you’re turning the ball over five times in 16 minutes, that ain’t gonna cut it for me. If you’re doing that on the offensive end, you better be bringing something defensively."
– Hornets Coach James Borrego on LaMelo Ball losing minutes
(Via https://t.co/DLwZUwC8Bb) pic.twitter.com/814JeS5Ass
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 23, 2021
LaMelo has struggled with poor decision-making and bad defense since making his debut last month.
And while many fans would rather see him play to develop his skills, it seems the youngster will have to really earn his minutes if he wants to stay a part of the rotation.
Unsurprisingly, LaMelo’s father, LaVar, had something to say about it…
“My thing is, he ain’t happy with that, but he ain’t going to show that,” LaVar Ball told TMZ Sports. “If I train you to be the best and always been starting all your life — here is what they don’t get. My boys are not freakin’ role players. They superstars! Let them do what they do.”
Obviously, LaVar is going to bat for his boys — regardless of what is actually happening on the court.
But it will be interesting to see what happens in the weeks to come. Will Melo’s minutes continue to fall, or can he improve and earn a bigger role within the franchise?
