Even with LaMelo Ball on the roster, the Charlotte Hornets are yet to leave their mark in the NBA.
After all, the 2024-25 NBA season was yet another disappointing season in franchise history as the Charlotte Hornets finished with a terrible 19-63 record.
A key reason behind the Hornets’ poor performance was LaMelo Ball playing just 47 games as the 23-year-old battled through multiple injuries during the regular season.
Photo by David Jensen/Getty ImagesGrant Williams says LaMelo Ball is doing his best to ‘bring value’
Keeping the Hornets’ poor performance in mind, there were expectations of Ball being traded before the start of the 2025-26 NBA season.
However, so far, those rumors have yet to become a reality. In fact, Hornets veteran Grant Williams assured fans that Ball is working hard this offseason. Why? To bring ‘value’ to the organization.
“He’s doing a lot of things that bring value. Not only his voice, but just his approach. He’s in there every single day.
“He’s there and present, and I think (he) is somebody we can look to and see, like, ‘He’s actually putting the work in every single day, not this person who is away from us and claims to be doing the work,’” Williams told Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.
He added: “No, he’s doing it every single day. He’s doing every single workout, he’s being available.”
So far, Ball’s fitness has been the biggest point of concern about his career. After all, the former third overall pick has played fewer than 60 games in four out of the five seasons of his career.
LaMelo Ball wants to step up as a ‘leader’ for the Charlotte Hornets
Assuming Ball finally manages to stay healthy for the upcoming season. That’s not the end of trouble for Charlotte.
After all, they lack a mature voice in the locker room, except Williams. The 2022 NBA All-Star is aware of it as he intends to step up as a leader for the Hornets next season.
“Not only just from a like, ‘Hey, let’s go do this.’ If maybe we do a mini-camp, ‘Let’s organize this, I’ll take care of these guys, I’ll do this,’” Williams continued.
“So, he’s being very, very welcoming in a sense of (being) a leader and understanding that he’s going to have to take it to a more mature step in his role in order for us to be the best team possible,” he concluded.
Ball averaged 25.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game for the Hornets last season. It will be interesting to see if he can continue this production while also taking on a leadership role on the team.