After entering, and staying in, the starting lineup through injuries to Terry Rozier and Devonte’ Graham, LaMelo Ball will remain in the starting lineup with the Hornets at full strength. Following the team’s first practice since the All-Star break on Wednesday, head coach James Borrego said Ball would remain in the starting lineup, though he hadn’t yet discussed with his team who would move to the bench.
“LaMelo will continue to start,” Borrego said. “The rest (of the lineup) I’ll figure it out as we go. I got a few guys I got to talk to now that we’re back. I have not had that time. We just got back in the gym. I’m going to sort through that. For me, it’s about communicating with my guys first and then I’ll probably have more definitive answers for you tomorrow on this once I sit with those guys and then we’ll go from there.
“But, you know, I just want to I just want to make sure I’m clear with them first before you know I take it to anybody else. That’s kind of where we’re at. LaMelo will continue to start and what we do from there, I’ll wait till tomorrow.”
Since moving into the lineup, Ball is averaging 20.7 points, 6.7 assists and 6.2 rebounds in 15 games. Ball hit his stride during the Hornets’ six-game road trip to close the first half of the regular season, averaging 20.0 points, 7.2 assists and 5.8 rebounds but shooting 51.1% from the field and 50.0% from the 3-point line.
“(He’s) just figuring it out,” Devonte’ Graham said of Ball on Wednesday. “(The rookies) didn’t have summer league, they didn’t get to go through a super long training camp and stuff like that. Everything was coming at him real quick and he had to learn all the terminology and stuff.
“Now that he’s kind of gotten it and he’s been in the games – and really, that’s the only time he gets to learn is during the game because we don’t really practice that much because of the schedule and how much we play – it’s just starting to click for him. He’s getting more aggressive and it’s showing.”
Graham may be the most likely to move to the bench, at least early on. His knee injury that kept him out the final seven games of the first half of the regular season allowed Ball to keep his spot in the lineup. When the Hornets take the court on Thursday, it’ll be three days shy of a month since Graham suited up for Charlotte.
Whether Graham starts won’t impact how much he plays with Ball. On the one occasion of late he, Ball and Terry Rozier were healthy against San Antonio on Feb. 14, Borrego opted for a three-guard starting lineup with P.J. Washington sidelined. But that was the night Graham lasted just 19 minutes before leaving with his injury.
On the season, the three guards have played 102 minutes together and have a 21.0 net rating. It remains a lineup that Borrego will put on the court the remainder of the season as the Hornets push for the playoffs.
“I think it’s a productive lineup,” he said. “(It’s been) better than I expected and I’ll continue to look at it. Those are three of our better players and I got to figure out what to do defensively behind them. But that group is a dynamic group and they like playing with each other and so far, the results have been good. I’d expect that to continue.”
Ball will almost certainly be joined in the starting lineup with Gordon Hayward and Cody Zeller. How the remaining two spots will shuffle out between Rozier, Graham and Washington will be an interesting note to watch as the team looks to continue building on its strong season.