After what has seemed like an eternity, LaMelo Ball has finally returned to the NBA floor. And for fans across the globe, it felt like the lord almighty had finally shown mercy to a land plagued by the worst famine of all time.
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Flashy passes, fearless scoring, and most importantly, making the team better. These are some of the many things Ball does for the Hornets. And undoubtedly, fans are going to be pouring into Spectrum Center to see it all happen once again.
Now, all this is really nice. However, Steve Clifford wasn’t too happy with this game by any stretch of the imagination.
But why?
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Steve Clifford goes off on LaMelo Ball and co. for their utter disregard for defense during the game
There weren’t many on the Charlotte Hornets who had a bad game on the offensive end of the floor.
However, when it comes to defense… well, it sometimes looked like the team thought there were in an All-Star game.
And after watching this be the case for so long, right in front of his eyes, Steve Clifford has evidently had enough, as he recently said this to the media.
“Until we care about something besides how many points we score, we’re not going to win much.”
Steve Clifford on tonight’s OT loss to the Pistons.@Hornets | #LetsFly pic.twitter.com/fjjQR1tL06
— Bally Sports: Hornets (@HornetsOnBally) December 15, 2022
That is an angry, angry man. And the Hornets had better be scared of him.
Because if any player doesn’t play defense during their next game they may not be exiting that game with a spot in the rotation anymore.
How did LaMelo Ball do in his return?
LaMelo Ball looked far better than what many were expecting.
23 points, and 11 assists, while shooting 9 of 18 from the field (50%), and 5 of 13 from deep (38.5%). That right there is a very efficient double-double. And it very much showed during this game.
A Hornets offense that can admittedly look less than NBA caliber at times was practically singing a beautiful hymn together. The ball was rotated a lot faster, with shooters often getting much better shots, which helped them stay in rhythm.
Now, all the team has to figure out, is how in the world they can get a stop.
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