Hornets seeing growth, winning basketball from LaMelo Ball

Hornets guard LaMelo Ball has never lacked confidence, flair, or the ability to put points on the board. What’s always been debated is whether his game would ever fully translate to winning basketball.

That question is starting to get answered.

Ball poured in an efficient 37 points Sunday as the Hornets knocked off the Wizards, but the bigger takeaway wasn’t the scoring. It was how he scored. According to Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer, Ball emphasized that he was “finding the best looks” instead of forcing the action. That’s music to a coach’s ears.

“I love it,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said. “I think it just shows the continued growth and maturity that he’s proven all year. He has helped impact winning in a lot of different ways.”

Lee went on to praise Ball’s defensive engagement and his willingness to keep making the right play regardless of who had the hot hand 00 a notable shift for a player long viewed as pure offense-first.

Context matters here. Ball has more help. Brandon Miller is healthy, and rookie Kon Knueppel has been better than advertised. Ball’s shooting percentages (40.1 percent from the field, 36.7 percent from three) are in line with his career norms, but he’s shooting less, trusting more, and reading the game better.

That’s not a small thing.

The highlights will always be there. The difference now is Ball looks increasingly comfortable controlling games instead of just lighting them up.