Is LaMelo Ball an NBA All-Star? Dissecting his case against stiff potential East reserves

LaMelo Ball seemed like he would be an All-Star starter shoo-in when the fan-voting period ended. Ball finished with almost 500,000 more fan votes than the second vote-getter, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, according to the NBA voting returns. However, when the Eastern Conference All-Star starting backcourt was revealed, Mitchell and Jalen Brunson leapfrogged Ball.

In the voting, Ball was popular amongst the fans, but the Charlotte Hornets guard was ranked seventh by the media vote and third in the player vote amongst Eastern Conference guards. Now that the starters have been announced, LaMelo Ball has to compete with the rest of the All-Star hopefuls for the seven Eastern Conference reserve spots on the 2025 team.

Ball is having a career year as a pro in his fifth NBA season, outperforming his 2022 campaign that earned him his first All-Star selection. Over 31 games so far this season, Ball is averaging 28.2 points per game, which is fourth in the NBA. He also ranks in the top ten in assists, dishing 7.3 per contest. Ball's efficiency has also been good, stacking up well against the league's top players.

The selection process for the All-Star reserves differs from the one used to decide the starters, shifting the power from the fans, players, and media over to the head coaches throughout the league. Over time, coaches have given more weight to team performance and a player's impact on winning when considering which players deserve the reserve spots. Unfortunately for Ball, he falls short here.

The team has struggled with inconsistency and injuries all season, with only Josh Green having played in more than 40 of the team's 43 games so far. The Hornets are currently 12-31, placing them at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, just above the Washington Wizards. Despite Ball's heroics, the team has struggled to win games this year.

LaMelo Ball finds himself amongst a pool of great players competing for the seven remaining spots on the Eastern Conference All-Star roster. The long list includes names like Trae Young, Darius Garland, Damian Lillard, Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Jaylen Brown, Paolo Banchero, and Jarett Allen. One thing that all those players have in common that Ball doesn't? They're all in playoff contention.

Lamelo Ball might have been dealt a fatal blow to his All-Star campaign last night, leaving the Hornets' game against the Los Angeles Lakers with an ankle sprain that could keep him out until the All-Star weekend in mid-February. Ball's statistics are his biggest strength in his All-Star argument, but if he misses enough time, he won't be able to rely on them as much as he needs to.

Will Lamelo Ball consider leaving the Hornets if they can't put a successful team around him?

The Hornets' struggles aren't LaMelo Ball's fault, but eventually, he may think he can't win playing in Charlotte any longer and could either force his way out via trade or walk away in free agency. As the trade deadline approaches, Ball has garnered sporadic interest around the league, including from the Los Angeles Lakers, who are trying to improve their roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

In 2023, Ball signed a five-year extension worth up to $260 million according to Spotrac, that will keep him in Charlotte until 2029 unless he decides he wants to move on. Ball has expressed joy in playing in Charlotte during his career, but the time may come when he wants to move on.