No NBA player is perfect. As exciting as it will be to see LaMelo Ball paired with Anthony Edwards, there are questions heading into the 2026-27 season regarding the former Charlotte Hornets player.
These are just some questions on Ball that could determine if the Minnesota Timberwolves can reach their ceiling and ultimately be a championship contender.Â
(I won’t make his health a question, because it is well known by now that he has had his share of injuries.) Of course, the Timberwolves need him healthy for the playoffs and also do not want to see any lengthy absences in the regular season.
Will Ball have another season where his minutes are down?Â
Last season, Hornets head coach Charles Lee spent the year limiting Ball’s minutes. He would average 28 per game, which is the lowest of his six-year career.
The reason for doing so is that Ball has dealt with a bevy of injuries that have caused him to miss time, particularly to his ankles. After appearing in just 105 games from 2022-23 until 2024-25, Ball played in 72 last season.
Will the Timberwolves have a similar plan for Ball’s first year with Minnesota? Tim Connelly didn’t have a definitive answer at Ball’s press conference in July, but it has certainly been discussed within the organization.
How will Ball perform when the lights get brighter?
The Hornets haven’t reached the postseason since 2016. Therefore, Ball has yet to play in a playoff game over his first six seasons.
Now, Ball does have a little experience in games with elevated meaning. He has played in three Play-In Tournament contests.Â
In 2022, the Hornets lost by 29 points and Ball shot just 7-for-25 from the field. While he scored the game-winning layup in overtime of their one-point win over the Miami Heat in this year’s 9-10 meeting, Ball shot 12-for-31 overall and 2-for-16 from beyond the arc. Charlotte couldn’t advance to the playoffs after losing by 31 points to the Orlando Magic in the following game, which saw Ball make seven of his 17 field goal attempts.
Something would have had to go terribly wrong for the Minnesota Timberwolves to fall short of reaching the postseason. Regardless, it needs to be seen if Ball can elevate his play come playoff time.Â
With injuries, are Ball's days of often getting into the lane over?
In his Rookie of the Year season, Ball nearly attempted half of his shots around the paint. Last year, fewer than 30 percent of his field goal attempts came within 10 feet of the rim.
Now, that is partly due to Ball becoming more and more of a high-volume 3-point shooter. Each year in the league, though, he has taken fewer shots at the rim. Because of this, out of all the star point guards in the league, Ball's free-throw rate is much lower than many of his counterparts.
There will certainly be times when Ball is putting constant pressure on the defense. It will be interesting to see if he can continue to do so, or if he has games where he is just settling for 3-pointers.
Can Ball give a consistent defensive effort?
Ball has qualities of someone who can be a good defender. He has great length at 6-foot-7. He can also guess correctly when getting into passing lanes to pick up steals.
Those who have watched him in Charlotte, though, understand that the effort on that side of the court was inconsistent. It’s somewhat similar to Edwards in that sense.
Yes, the Timberwolves have Jaden McDaniels to often guard the opponent’s best perimeter player and Gobert to help out if a backcourt player gets beat. Those two can’t fix every defensive lapse, though. Also, after losing both Julius Randle and Naz Reid, Ball will need to help out on the defensive glass.Â
Overall, these questions will help determine just how succesful the LaMelo Ball-era is.
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