LaMelo Ball gave the Charlotte Hornets something they don’t often get: a real break.
Back in the 2020 NBA draft, the Hornets climbed five spots to No. 3 and landed Ball, a move that looked like a franchise-altering win from the start. You can make the case that they should have gone with Tyrese Haliburton or Tyrese Maxey, but Ball was still the cleanest home run the team has hit in years. Charlotte had its guy.
What followed, though, was six seasons of the Hornets getting in their own way. By the end of that sixth year, the organization had turned things around in a major way, but it still chose to shut down the Ball era. The question now is simple: how did it unravel, and who deserves the blame?
Mostly, it lands on the Hornets.
Before Jeff Peterson, this was a badly run basketball operation. Michael Jordan, Mitch Kupchak, and the rest of that group did not handle the Ball years well enough, and Charlotte never really built a proper support system around a player with star talent.
The draft misses piled up after Ball arrived. In 2021, the Hornets passed on Alperen Sengun, Trey Murphy, Jalen Johnson, and Day'Ron Sharpe.
In 2022, Mark Williams was a solid pick, but the team still passed on Walker Kessler, Christian Braun, and Peyton Watson. The move involving Duren for Williams has only looked worse with time.
There were some better calls, too. In 2023, Charlotte made the right choice taking Brandon Miller over Scoot Henderson.
But the selection of Nick Smith Jr. still came up short, even if it’s fair to say that a 27th overall pick is a tougher place to nitpick. Brice Sensabaugh and Toumani Camara were the better options there.
Then came the 2024 mistake that has already been beaten to death: Tidjane Salaün over Donovan Clingan, Zach Edey, Matas Buzelis, Kel'el Ware, Jared McCain, and Ajay Mitchell. Salaün may still turn into a good player, but that didn’t help the Hornets in the moment.
Oddly enough, the 2025 draft went much better, and Ball produced his best season. That timing says plenty.
Charlotte also failed to give Ball enough help in free agency. The Gordon Hayward deal was a disaster, and there simply weren’t enough other moves that moved the needle.
Ball gets some blame because of his health issues, but injuries are injuries. They’re not something a player can just will away. At the same time, repeated injuries do force a conversation about what could have been done differently, and Ball may not have done as much as he could have.
Still, the Hornets eventually showed that a smarter approach could keep him on the court. Charles Lee and his staff figured out how to maximize Ball’s health and get him to 72 games. That only makes the earlier coaching decisions look worse.
James Borrego did a strong job making those Hornets more competitive, but the team believed he had reached his ceiling. Maybe that was the right read, and Kenny Atkinson was a fantastic hire.
But once Atkinson backed out, things slid badly. The second Steve Clifford stint was not good and never should have happened. When Lee got involved, the turnaround started, and that wasn’t a coincidence.
So yes, Ball had his own health struggles. But Charlotte mismanaged just about everything else around him.
The drafts missed too often. Free agency didn’t deliver.
The coaching choices weren’t good enough. And now the Ball era is over.
In Other News...
Hornets Just Made Another Backcourt Move Fans Need To See
Charlotte has continued to reshape its backcourt in a busy offseason, and the latest move adds another experienced piece to the mix. After already making changes to its point guard depth, the Hornets have now moved on from Tre Mann and brought in veteran guard Dennis Schroder, a roster adjustment that gives the team a different kind of presence behind the starters.
Schroder arrives with two years left on his contract and is expected to fill a backup guard role, giving Charlotte a steadier hand as it keeps sorting out the rotation around its new look. For a team still sorting through its guard picture, this is the kind of transaction that suggests the front office is less interested in standing pat than in finding a better fit for what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Just Made A Backcourt Move With Big Bench Implications
Charlotte is adding another layer to its backcourt after agreeing to a trade with Cleveland that reshapes the guard rotation and gives the front office a little more room to work. The deal sends cash and a veteran point guard to the Hornets while giving the Cavaliers the salary cap flexibility they were seeking, a move that could matter well beyond the immediate roster swap.
For Charlotte, the intrigue is in how a well-traveled guard fits alongside the players already in place and what it means for the second unit. The player arriving has been traded nine times in his NBA career and is set to join his 12th NBA team, which speaks to both his value as a movable piece and the constant search around the league for steady help at point guard. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Fans Will Have Plenty To Say About These 2K Ratings
Ahead of NBA 2K27s release, the Hornets player ratings are out, and there is already plenty in there for fans to debate. The reveal gives a fresh look at where Charlottes roster stands in the game, while also putting a spotlight on the teams 3-point shooting profile, which should stand out in a hurry for anyone loading up a Hornets lineup.
Still, the list does not tell the full story. Some names are missing altogether, including rookies Hannes Steinbach and Christian Anderson Jr., which leaves part of Charlottes picture unresolved heading into the games launch. For a fan base that tends to notice every little thing in these ratings releases, there will be no shortage of opinions about who got treated fairly and who did not. [Read more 🡒]