ESPN Ranks LaMelo Ball in Top 50 Players for 2023/24

LaMelo Ball was the only Hornets player to make the top 100 list

Today ESPN released their annual NBA player rank article for the 2023/24 season. LaMelo Ball ranked 48th overall, dropping seven places from last years ranking of 41st. The explanation in the drop in rank provided on ESPN was as follows:

A series of ankle injuries limited Ball to 36 games and dropped the Hornets toward the cellar. Ball's per-game stats improved from 2021-22, when he made his All-Star debut at age 20, but he inevitably suffered what ESPN's Zach Lowe described as a "looseness" to his game at both ends.

Analysis: The injury concerns are fair, a drop in his ranking to be expected heading into 2023. I would actually disagree with his per-game stats being "Improved" last season. Yes, he scored more points but his usage was much higher and his efficiency was greatly reduced. All this is linked back to Ball and the team's injuries. When LaMelo played last year he was clearly hampered from his ankle injury, he was also missing key members of his support cast through injury which put more pressure on Ball to produce. The situation to analyse Ball last year was an imperfect one, which often leads to imperfect ranks in exercises such as these.

Earlier in the off-season I wrote about how LaMelo Ball's is set to prove his doubters wrong. His ranking of 48 is higher than The Ringer's ranking of 50 and Action Sports Network's 84th, but lower than The Athletic (34-39) and his NBA 2K ranking of 41st.

LaMelo Ball Will Silence The Critics

Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward missed out on the top 100 list for a second year in a row. For Charlotte to push for the playoffs this season they will need at least one other player to have a top 100 level year.

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