After the “second chance” of Miles Bridges the day before, the good news is linked for Charlotte since it is this time LaMelo Ball who accompanied his GM Mitch Kupchak to hold his first press conference since the formalization of his XXL extension with the Hornets.
More than ever “franchise player” of the formation based in North Carolina, the little brother of Lonzo Ball explained that it was obvious to continue the adventure within the franchise which drafted him three years ago.
“As for my decision, it wasn’t really hard,” he confided. “All my years here, I had a good time. Life wasn’t so bad. In terms of basketball, it was more complicated. But we want to be able to live your life, enjoy. And that’s what I did in Charlotte, so it was a great choice to pursue.
Difficult indeed to refuse such a sum of money, despite the campaigns without playoffs…
The cornerstone of the Hornets project
Mitch Kupchak, for his part, expressed his satisfaction at having been able to secure the long-term future of such a player, who will serve as a cornerstone in the development project of the Hornets.
“We know what we have with a player of the caliber of LaMelo, his game and his youth, he will improve as a player. He is there every day. He certainly had a setback last year, but he is 100% recovered and he is on the pitch training every day to improve., he pointed out. “We haven’t had success as a team, and that’s about to change. This is our stated goal. But that a player like him comes back with us, that he chooses to come back, it’s exciting and I hope it is for the city of Charlotte.
The next step now was for him to help the team win more games, so that the franchise could be more attractive, the first objective of the Hornets being to validate their progress by finally finding the playoffs, otherwise the coming season will be a failure.
“What will make Charlotte more desirable – although I like LaMelo – won’t be him, but it’s if we get to win games and if we become a winning franchise. Then there will be players who will want to be drafted by Charlotte, who will want to be traded to Charlotte and who, when they are free agents, will want to come to Charlotte. Yes, LaMelo is a big part of that. As I said before, he is our cornerstone. But victory will solve all other problems.”
Encouraging future prospects
Among other points of satisfaction, LaMelo Ball said he has definitely recovered from his last ankle injury. At the beginning of June already during his visit to Paris, he had demonstrated that he was completely recovered. As well as being fit again, the leader intends to use the frustration of past years, plagued by injuries, to come back even better in 2023/24.
“It’s clearly frustrating. We had injuries, but it also boosts the motivation to return to the field. About the injury, the doctor said that I was now 100% back. I’m back on the pitch and taking baby steps, picking things up where I left them and trying to put everything back together.
LaMelo Ball is also enthusiastic about the arrival of Brandon Miller and the return of Miles Bridges after a year away from the pitch. Enough to offer a little more density and talent to the roster of Steve Clifford, who finished last season in 14th place in the Eastern Conference with only 27 victories on the clock…
“The atmosphere is good. We have the return of Miles Bridges which was important. Hopefully we’ll make the most of it this year and show everyone what we’re worth.”he continued before slipping a word on Brandon Miller. “It’s clearly great to have been able to take it. He’s like a little brother, so it’s going to be really cool, and I think he’s also a very good player, at 2m03, who can handle the ball. I feel like he’s going to fit in perfectly and it’s going to be a great marriage.”
| LaMelo Ball | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2020-21 | CHA | 51 | 29 | 43.6 | 35.2 | 75.8 | 1.2 | 4.7 | 5.9 | 6.1 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 15.8 |
| 2021-22 | CHA | 75 | 32 | 42.9 | 38.9 | 87.2 | 1.4 | 5.2 | 6.7 | 7.6 | 3.2 | 1.6 | 3.3 | 0.4 | 20.1 |
| 2022-23 | CHA | 36 | 35 | 41.1 | 37.6 | 83.6 | 1.2 | 5.3 | 6.4 | 8.4 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 3.6 | 0.3 | 23.3 |
| Total | 162 | 32 | 42.6 | 37.7 | 82.8 | 1.3 | 5.1 | 6.4 | 7.3 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 19.4 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
