Charlotte, NC — April 14, 2025
As the Charlotte Hornets close the book on another tough NBA season, head coach Charles Lee wasted no time setting the tone for the offseason: LaMelo Ball needs to get stronger.
“He’s got to get stronger,” Lee emphasized during Monday’s exit interviews. “When you’re one of the best players in the league, you have to be ready for physicality.”
🏋️ Why Strength Is the Priority
Throughout the 2024-25 season, opponents repeatedly targeted Ball with aggressive defensive pressure. Whether through body checks on the perimeter or backing him down in the paint, teams made it clear: physicality is the key to disrupting the Hornets’ 6-foot-7 point guard.
Lee pointed to early-season struggles with foul trouble and defensive lapses as signs that Ball’s frame wasn’t up to the nightly challenge — though he did show improvement over time.
“It’s going to start with his body,” said Lee. “He’s got to be stronger and more conditioned to sustain efforts on both ends.”
Ball agreed with the assessment, signaling his willingness to buy into the offseason plan.
“I definitely agree,” Ball said. “Just being in the weight room and everything they’re saying.”
🚨 The Injury Red Flag
The talent is undeniable. But since being drafted in 2020, LaMelo Ball has played in only 56% of the Hornets’ games — a stat that haunts Charlotte’s long-term ambitions.
The 2021-22 season remains his best to date: 75 games played, an All-Star nod, and flashes of superstardom.
Since then? A string of injuries, surgeries, and abbreviated seasons — including right ankle and wrist procedures that ended this campaign after just 47 appearances.
Still, Hornets GM Jeff Peterson sees the glass half full.
“Is it where we want it to be? No. Is it where he wants it to be? No,” Peterson admitted. “But he’s putting the time in and taking ownership.”
🔮 What’s Next for LaMelo and the Hornets?
Peterson confirmed Ball is expected to be fully healthy for training camp, with the team providing every resource necessary to support his offseason development.
“LaMelo can be as good as he wants to be,” said Peterson. “He does some things that, quite frankly, no one else in this league can.”
But talent alone won’t carry this franchise forward.
Durability. Conditioning. Strength. These are the pillars Charlotte is demanding from their franchise star — because without them, highlight-reel passes and deep threes won’t be enough.
If the Hornets hope to rise in the Eastern Conference, LaMelo Ball has to become more than electric — he has to become reliable.
