It’s a treat to watch a healthy LaMelo Ball hoop. do it all Charlotte Frelons The point guard has been the driving force behind the team’s hot start to the season on the offensive end. Ball, a fifth-year NBA starter, is a unique talent who can single-handedly carry an offense when he’s at his best. It starts with his unfathomable effectiveness behind the arc.

LaMelo’s shooting ability is impossible to overestimate. Great shooters like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson launch jump shots with metronomic consistency. The Splash Brothers are praised for their ability to fly off screens, catch passes and shoot with the same square shoulders, feet shoulder-width apart on almost every attempt. Curry and Thompson are almost robotic with their movements behind the arc. The ball is just the opposite.

LaMelo has made 48 three-pointers through the first three weeks of the season and it seems like none of them have looked the same. The effervescent guard can make a two-foot shot, a one-foot shot, a fade left, a sprint right, a step back, a snatch back, a grab – should I continue ? The shape of his sweater is erratic, but the results are pure. According to Clean the glassBall ranks in the 67th percentile in three-point accuracy among NBA players, which becomes even more impressive when you learn that he has made the most three-point attempts in the league.

Ball’s mastery from beyond the arc was key in Friday night’s fourth-quarter explosion and Sunday night’s fourth-quarter comeback. In this last clash, Ball’s exploits forced overtime. A classic off-platform fade corner from Ball, J, tied the game at 97, completing a 10 comeback to start the quarter. His four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter he felt good en route to OT, but in the extra stanza, Ball’s jumper let him down. It didn’t matter.

The ball started overtime 0-3 from the field (0-2 deep). His Hornets teammates calmed down at the same time, with Charlotte failing to score for nearly three minutes during the bonus period. In this situation, a lesser guard would have continued to force long-range jumpers to try to recreate the downtown magic that brought Charlotte all the way back. The LaMelo Ball of 2024 did the opposite. He lowered his head and walked towards the cup.

When it mattered most, Ball changed his game. He was keenly aware of Charlotte’s inability to score in overtime, so he did what every great scorer in NBA history has done and found a way to put pressure on the rim and tilt the defense going downhill. In the second clip above, Ball’s elite shooting ability froze the defense, and he took advantage of the Sixers’ indecision to attack the divided sea in front of him instead of shooting semi-contested three-pointers. That’s what great scorers do at three levels.

A single-game sample size doesn’t mean a tectonic shift in Ball’s game is underway, but it is encouraging to say the least. Ball still struggles to finish around the rim (shooting 54 percent in 10 games, in the 26th percentile in the league), but instead of hesitating to drive among the trees, Ball touts his opportunities, and they’ll only become more efficient.

For the record, the Hornets guard has yet to receive the benefit of the doubt on most of his rim runs. The referees have swallowed their whistles during many ball practices early in the 2024 campaign, but as the driving force of Charlotte’s offense gains tenure within the Association, he will begin to receive the same calls as superstars of his ilk receive.

The Charlotte Hornets will go as far as LaMelo Ball can take them, and the maturation of his game will take not only his status among his NBA compatriots to new heights, but also his traditionally moribund franchise. Brandon Miller said the combination of him and LaMelo is a “scary sight” for opposing defenses, and if Ball can continue to grow, they will only become more terrifying as they develop as a duo.

Why Moussa Diabaté deserves a starting role with the injured Charlotte Hornets: A deep dive into his impact

Hornets’ 2024 NBA Cup run begins Tuesday: Analysis of Charlottes’ path to in-season tournament glory