LaMelo Ball has had a new role with the Charlotte Hornets this season by coming off the bench. With his short stint in Lithuania set aside, Ball has never come off the bench dating back to his time in Chino Hills.
Ball has not shown any sign of discontent with his role this season. However, in an interview with TMZ on Saturday, LaVar Ball claimed his youngest son is unhappy as a non-starter.
“…He ain’t happy with that but he ain’t going to show that. If I train you to be the best and you’ve been starting all your life, here’s what they don’t get, my boys are not freaking role players. They’re superstars. Let them do what they do. But if your mentality ain’t like that, guess what, it’s hard to coach my boys and tap into the best because you don’t have a killer mindset.”
This season, LaMelo is averaging 24.6 minutes per game and has played in every game. He’s also averaging 11.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists. He’s found success in various ways, including being the youngest player with a triple-double in league history.
Ball has not publicly stated or shown any unhappiness with his role. In the past, he’s also spoken about not holding the same opinions as his father. During the NBA Draft Combine, LaMelo noted that he has his own views separate from LaVar after his father claimed LaMelo did not want to go to the Warriors in the draft.
It’s also interesting, though, that this comes immediately after Ball was benched in the fourth quarter against the Bulls on Friday. The move came after Ball struggled, committing five turnovers for the second time in three games.
Even with that in mind, given what teammates have said about LaMelo even in the last week, it’s hard to put much weight into LaVar’s words.