In the NBA right now, there is a cast of current NBA ball handlers who prioritize usage percentage and shoot first, ask questions later. From Brooklyn’s Cam Thomas, who rages against analysts calling him an “empty calories ball hog” yet still reigns with a scorching 33% usage rate, to New York’s Jordan Clarkson, who doesn’t know what an assist could be at times, there are players who only care about their scoring.
Sure, it’s not all doom and gloom: the league still has the Tyrese Haliburtons and Nikola Jokic‘s of the world, a refreshing embodiment of anti-ball-hogging brilliance. But as you scroll through this gallery of ball-hogs, ask yourself: Is stardom just a cover for selfishness, or is the team-first approach the true path to greatness? Let’s name the 10 biggest perpetrators of ball-hogism.
1. Cam Thomas
2024-25 Season Stats: 24.0 PPG, 3.8 APG, 43.8% FG, 8.0-18.2 FG, 2.7-7.8 3-PT FG
Cam is the textbook definition of a volume scorer: he’s chucking nearly 18 shots a night, burying over 40% of them, and dropping 24 points per game. And with close to eight threes per outing? You know he’s hoarding the rock.
But here’s the real kicker: it’s not just the numbers; it’s the effect. Brooklyn’s offense lives and dies by Cam’s mood. His looks come in waves: streaky bursts followed by long droughts.
When he’s on, Nets fans cheer. When he’s not, it’s predictable stalling. He’s efficient enough to avoid critiques, but he still clogs the flow, not exactly team-first poetry.
2. Jordan Clarkson
2024-25 Season Stats: 16.2 PPG, 3.7 APG, 40.8% FG, 5.4-13.3 FG, 2.3-6.3 3-PT FG
Jordan Clarkson’s bench presence is electric. He’s the sixth man who lights it up, dropping 16 points with nearly 4 assists in just 26.0 minutes. Clarkson jacks over 13 shots per game with a 40% clip, unstoppable when his hoodie’s on fire, but ugly when he is cold.
He thrives off that spark plug mentality: instant offense, loud looks, founder of frenetic pacing. But make no mistake, this is selfish brilliance. And although that’s fun, it’s not always functional.
He’s your shot-taker, not your facilitator, and he wants the stage, even if it means hijacking possessions. Basically, he is willing to live or die with his shots.
3. Trae Young
2024-25 Season Stats: 24.2 PPG, 11.6 APG, 41.1% FG, 7.4-18.1 FG, 2.9-8.4 3-PT FG
Trae Young is a magician with a scorebook: elite combo of 24 points and 11.6 assists per game. But behind the wizardry is sheer possession hogging, with 18 field goals a game, low 41% accuracy, and nearly nine treys attempted.
His usage is incredibly high, and he completely dominates the offense for good (and sometimes very good) or bad. Young will grab the ball, bend defenses, and while fans swoon over the genius, coaches cringe when the ball gets stuck. He can run an offense or drown it.
When hot, he’s transcendent; when cold, every possession is a reclamation mission. A ball-hog with flair, but sometimes flair veers into self-indulgence a little too often.
4. LaMelo Ball
2024-25 Season Stats: 25.2 PPG, 7.4 APG, 40.5% FG, 8.6-21.3 FG, 3.8-11.2 3-PT FG
LaMelo Ball’s lens on basketball is cinematic: he orchestrates Charlotte’s every move, commanding 32 minutes a night and hoisting 21 shots, with over 11 trey attempts, ball-owner to the core. He dishes out 7.4 assists but also hoards the rock in late-clock moments, amping up usage rate and ball dependency.
Sure, he’s a highlight machine, no-look dimes, wild step-backs, high-lights expected, but that flair doesn’t excuse him when the offense grinds to a halt during colder spells. He leans heavily on his own creation instead of hunting off-ball flow for teammates.
When the Hornets need rhythm, it’s often “LaMelo or bust,” a classic love-hate hallmark of elite ball-hogs. To be fair to LaMelo, his team isn’t great at all, and they need his offense, so that might have something to do with it.
5. Cam Whitmore
2024-25 Season Stats: 9.4 PPG, 1.0 APG, 44.4% FG, 3.5-7.9 FG, 2.3-3.6 3-PT FG
Cam Whitmore’s a paradox, a high-upside rookie whose game screams “me first,” even while battling for reps. With fewer than 17 minutes per night, he still asserts himself as a micro-shot-monster: quick to fire, quick to flash frustration, even when bench minutes.
His efficiency (44.4%, 35.5% from deep) is solid, but his regard for flow is non-existent; he’ll pull up on the move in the corner instead of cracking defenses or finding cutters. The lore of his irritation over limited time only underscores the ball-stingy impulse: Cam wants to score, stat, heck, ownership of the offense begins with the ball in his hands.
That bravado is vintage ball-hog energy wrapped in youngster roots. His inability to move the ball is a major reason why the Houston Rockets traded him, but we hope Whitmore can prove himself to be an all-around player with the Washington Wizards.
6. Kyle Kuzma
2024-25 Season Stats: 14.8 PPG, 2.3 APG, 43.6% FG, 5.7-13.0 FG, 1.5-4.8 3-PT FG
Kyle Kuzma’s a savvy volume spacer, flinging 13 shots nightly and carving out his niche with 14.8 PPG. His mid-range pull-ups and stepbacks have become his signature, even if they sometimes shut down ball movement in crunch time.
He’s a tweener: too scoring-heavy for a true second option, yet not efficient enough to justify avoiding ball rotations. When action stops and everyone stares, Kuzma’s usually the guy hoisting. He’s got range and polish, but sometimes that polish comes with selfish slowdowns.
7. Michael Porter Jr.
2024-25 Season Stats: 18.2 PPG, 2.1 APG, 50.4% FG, 6.9-13.6 FG, 2.5-6.4 3-PT FG
Michael Porter Jr. is pure scoring, even in Denver’s loaded system; he averages 18.2 PPG on elite 50% shooting. He’ll isolate at the elbow, drain threes off one dribble, and keep firing even when the bench is begging for a touch. Sure, that’s his role and what he is supposed to do, but we have seen Porter Jr. show complete disregard for his teammates too many times.
Reckon him as a professional shot-grabber: his hands go up first, before anyone else even moves. Supports the ball-hog crown with aggression, but you can’t blame him; he’s just capitalizing on offensive gravity. Porter Jr. wants a bigger role with the Brooklyn Nets, so let’s see if he can show more parts of his game.
8. DeMar DeRozan
2024-25 Season Stats: 22.2 PPG, 4.4 APG, 47.7% FG, 8.1-17.0 FG, 1.1-3.3 3-PT FG
DeMar DeRozan is a vintage isolation maestro, averaging 22.2 PPG while hoisting 17 attempts a night. His mid-range game is ferocious, buttressed by bulldozer drives and late-clock hero-ball that often goes unsaid but always shows up on the court.
Efficient? Absolutely. But you’d almost think the offense would freeze without him dialed up, because it often does. Sacramento rides DeMar’s shoulder into battle; if he misses, the air goes flat.
Classic ball-hog rhythm: do or die by his hold. There is a reason why DeRozan hasn’t been on too many winning playoff teams, because he tends to focus on scoring the ball and shooting over defenders more than other areas of the game.
9. Bradley Beal
2024-25 Season Stats: 17.0 PPG, 3.7 APG, 49.7% FG, 6.5-13.1 FG, 1.9-5.0 3-PT FG
Bradley Beal put up 17 PPG on just under 50% shooting, with five threes a night. He’s aggressively hunting shots. He’s still that shooter-first certified guy, chasing buckets as his main contribution in Phoenix’s mix.
He’s quieter than his streaky past, but the pattern remains: spot-up, dribble-drain, repeat. He’s not the engine, but when you dial into the offense, he’s plenty relevant.
And yes, he still hoards the looks, even if he’s a calm, cool hoarder now. The Suns couldn’t take having him on the roster anymore (and vice-versa), so Beal hopes he can bring his offensive talents to the Los Angeles Clippers next season.
10. Zach LaVine
2024-25 Season Stats: 23.3 PPG, 4.2 APG, 51.1% FG, 8.4-16.5 FG, 3.2-7.2 3-PT FG
Zach LaVine rejoined the paint with 23.3 points unevenly cooked, scoring over half of his 15 shots, including 3.2 triples nightly. He’s athletic, loud, flashy, and unafraid to flex even when offensive balance screams for more movement.
He demands touches, craves iso, and’ll take it at forty-four minutes flat when the team gets stale. LaVine is an elite shooter, so we will give him that, and he’s certainly a highlight reel in sneakers, but sometimes, a ball-hog reel too.
