Former NBA Player Chandler Parsons gives controversial take on LaMelo Ball

Chandler Parsons throws a little shade on the Hornets star.

Austin Leake | Oct 29, 2024

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Charlotte Hornets

It's three games into the season and LaMelo Ball has simply been playing out of his mind. Currently, Ball sits third in the NBA in points per game with 31.7 points in the Hornets' three contests. Ball has had to take full reins of the offense while Brandon Miller recovers from a glute injury.

Not only has Ball been on a rampage scoring the ball, but he's also found a way to get his teammates involved, averaging over seven assists a game. Also, Ball has been active on the boards, averaging over seven rebounds a game. His shooting ability has been shown early on, as he achieved a career-high nine three-pointers versus Atlanta. Ball is currently shooting over 40% from three and the field.

Despite his tremendous play, Ball continues to get some negative media interactions, this time from former NBA player Chandler Parsons. Parsons played nine seasons in the NBA and is known for having one of the worst contracts in NBA history.

📺 Lou Williams on @RunItBackFDTV:

"LaMelo Ball beats Jrue Holiday in the point guard conversation. [...] Talking about individual talent, Jrue Holiday is not better than LaMelo Ball."

Lou Williams' discussion with Chandler Parsons ⤵️pic.twitter.com/ksv5rdDwHm
— /r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) October 28, 2024

In the video, Parsons labels Ball as just a "top 10 point guard in the Eastern Conference," while listing players like Jrue Holiday, Darius Garland, and Tyrese Haliburton above him. Now, understandably Ball hasn't been healthy over the last two seasons, which is most likely why this take occurs, but when healthy Ball has proved to be one of the best point guards in the league.

Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Maxey, and Damian Lillard are three point guards that can't be argued or disagreed upon when ranked to Ball. However, as far as Holiday, Garland, Haliburton, and Cade Cunningham being better than LaMelo Ball, I'd be very hesitant to say that, as I believe Ball is more talented than those players.

Surprisingly, so far, Haliburton has looked pretty rough as he's averaging 12.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists on a horrendous 31.8% from the field and 20.0% from three. Compared to Ball's numbers, that is a substantial drop-off.

Similar to Haliburton, Jrue Holiday hasn't had much production, as he has averaged just 13.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. However, Holiday is shooting a whopping 50% and above from three and the field, but it's still not enough for me to put him above Ball who's been sensational.

I don't really understand where Parsons is going when talking about Jrue Holiday and other point guards being better than Ball from a talent perspective, but I do believe that some of that has to come to his own disbelief that Ball is able to stay healthy. A healthy LaMelo Ball can change this list entirely and most likely make Parsons eat his own words.

If Ball can continue this play over the course of the season, then there will be a lot of receipts that he can hold against the media. Ball went from being one of the most positively talked about players, to now having analysts underrating the 23-year-old's potential and play. With Ball's addition of the ankle braces and his commitment on both sides of the ball, I believe this is the year where teams, the media, and the players realize just how truly special and generational Ball can really be.

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