Entering year six of his NBA career, it’s been up and down to say the least when it comes to LaMelo Ball, and certainly all down for the Hornets as a team, who haven’t made the playoffs since Ball was selected third overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. Now Ball has a reloaded roster, with a blend of young talent and veteran presence that he’s never had before, and it should mean the Hornets will be frisky in what looks to be a depleted Eastern Conference.

But will it actually come to fruition this year? Will the roster be cohesive? Will the 2025 draft picks like Kon Knueppel and Liam McNeeley pan out? All questions that are hovering over the Hornets franchise right now, but the biggest of them all is if LaMelo Ball will take the next step and become a true #1 on a team that can win.

There are a few layers when it comes to what success will look like for LaMelo Ball this upcoming season. The first is health. Throughout his career, he’s faced multiple injuries that have kept him off the court, leaving the Hornets with no one to fill his shoes from a production level. In his five seasons, Ball has only played more than 55 games just once, which was his lone All-Star appearance in the 21-22 season. Since then, Ball has only played in105 of 246 games. He has a long history of ankle injuries throughout his NBA career, which have kept him from finding a rhythm on the court and kept Charlotte irrelevant in the NBA landscape. If he can stay healthy, which is a big if, Ball could be one of the top guards in the Eastern Conference.

The other layer of his and Buzz City’s success lies within Ball’s playing style as he has constantly caught criticism due to his inefficient shooting, decision-making and lack of defensive impact on the perimeter. Ball for his career hasn’t shot higher than 43.6% from the field and is coming off a career low 33.9% three-point shooting. The numbers improving will depend on Ball’s shot selection, as he’s been criticized for taking too difficult shots during games rather than moving the ball and finding the best shot available. Many fans and media members have compared Ball’s style to streetball rather than NBA basketball, with his flashy handles and high volume shooting. If Ball wants to truly become a top guard in the league, his efficiency and defense have to improve.

What exactly is at stake for LaMelo Ball this season? The answer is he could end up out of Charlotte and lose value after his max rookie extension is up in 2029. If he’s dealt, it’ll be because of his lack of reliability to be there for the Hornets when they need him or if he’s healthy and the team makes no type of improvement, even though the roster on paper is much better than the last few years prior. The other side of it is that if Ball wants out of Charlotte anyway, he’s going to have to make a statement this season for a team to want to trade for him and take on his massive max contract. This is a make-or-break year for Ball. Playing winning basketball and staying on the court could lead to media members and fans looking at him in a whole new light, and take him seriously as a superstar of the future.