The Charlotte Hornets have dominated lately, coming out of nowhere in the Eastern Conference. With Wednesday’s win against the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte has now won 10 of their last 11 games and moved all the way up to ninth place in the standings after spending the majority of the year in 12th place.

Now, entering the All-Star break, Charlotte is only 2.5 games behind the Miami Heat for the eighth and final playoff spot, allowing them to host a Play-In tournament game ahead of the postseason.

While Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel have been phenomenal, so too has LaMelo Ball. After being the topic of heavy criticism for his attitude early in the season, Ball has put the doubters to rest during this recent win streak.

In 45 games for the Hornets this season, Ball is averaging 19.3 points, 7.4 assists and 4.8 rebounds. 

Recently, Ball’s teammate and former NBA champion Pat Connaughton spoke to the Charlotte Observer about Ball and his desire to win, something that has been questioned about Ball in the past. “LaMelo’s desire to win and intent to win is genuine and authentic,” said Connaughton.

“He’ll listen and he’ll respond and he’ll do what’s necessary to win basketball games because that’s what he wants to do. And I think they’ve done a great job in this organization, ownership down, of getting the right people in the right places to help him.”

Charlotte will have the next week off for the All-Star break before returning to action against the Houston Rockets Feb. 19.

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