Chandler Parsons drops cold-blooded take on LaMelo Ball's lack of recognition

11/11/2024 10:49 PM

Former NBA swingman Chandler Parsons called out the Charlotte Hornets, despite their All-Star guard LaMelo Ball averaging nearly 30 points a game to lead them to a 4-6 record, despite injuries to Miles Bridges and Ball himself. Particularly, Parsons claimed that despite LaMelo Ball laying at a superstar level, the average NBA fan wouldn’t know him because the Hornets are a bad team, and that he could become a much bigger deal if he went to the Los Angeles Clippers and play for a big market.

“You put him on the Clippers, in a big market… We’re talking about a whole different player,” Parsons said in the latest episode of Run It Back, shared on X, formerly Twitter.

What would Lamelo Ball look like on the Clippers @ChandlerParsons says the conversation around the young superstar would be totally different!

Do you agree?@TeamLou23 | @ChandlerParsons | @MichelleDBeadlepic.twitter.com/fCxevrAe7v

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) November 11, 2024

Should the Hornets star consider relocation?

However, Run It Back co-host and former Clipper Lou Williams disagreed.

“I think people know who LaMelo Ball is,” Sweet Lou said, via The Sports Rush. “Can the Charlotte Hornets collectively be a good team? Absolutely. But I think as a brand, people know LaMelo Ball.”

Still, if LaMelo Ball heeds Chandler Parsons’ advice and leaves the small-market Hornets for the big-market Clippers, it could cause a seismic shift in the Western Conference.

Markets aside, Ball would slot perfectly into the Clips’ point guard position, though it removes James Harden from his best position of point guard, where he can run the offense or score in isolation.

For instance, Harden’s playmaking has unlocked Ivica Zubac, helping him blossom into a legitimate 20-10 guy. Yet Ball’s possible fit with the Clippers is intriguing: he has Harden’s elite playmaking and scoring ability, but he is younger and faster.

Additionally, he could make the Clippers play faster, maximizing the athletes on their roster, which features Mo Bamba, Kai Jones, and Kevin Porter Jr.

Moreover, Ball’s feel for the game means he doesn’t feel pressured in big moments, giving them another elite option for clutch shooting besides Harden (and Kawhi Leonard, if he ever returns).

Defensively, the Clippers might have enough athletic wing players to cover for Ball’s deficiencies, though they might have to overextend themselves covering for both him and Harden, whose defensive efforts can flag at times.

Possibilities

For now, LaMelo is one of two Ball brothers in the league, the other being Lonzo, who just returned from a two-year injury absence. Both players are floor generals, with impressive feel for the game and high basketball IQ.

Parsons might be right that LaMelo needs a better team to maximize his own abilities, since the Hornets are not a well-constructed team, even though they have good players like Brandon Miller and Tre Mann.

LaMelo can lead this team to the playoffs, but they simply don’t have enough pieces to go anywhere far.

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