Former NBA players react to Charles Lee’s bizarre benching of LaMelo Ball in loss to Nets

Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee opted to leave LaMelo Ball on the bench in crunch time.

Nov 19, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) drives to the basket against Brooklyn Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith (28) during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

LaMelo Ball sat for almost four minutes to close out the Charlotte Hornets' recent loss to the Brooklyn Nets. In what ended up being a one-point loss, head coach Charles Lee made the decision to pull Ball after a missed shot and a frustration foul. He let Tre Mann play the rest of the way.

Ball, currently tied with Kevin Durant with a 5.0 average points scored in clutch situations, has been stellar for the Hornets all season. Lee felt that Mann had the hotter hand in that situation, claiming that was his reasoning after the game.

NBA legend Gilbert Arenas acknowledged that Ball, who had 12 points on 3/13 shooting by the time of his benching, had a "horrible go of it." Despite this, Arenas believes Lee made the wrong choice leaving his star guard on the bench.

Former NBA point guard Jeff Teague also had his say. He didn't mince words, "That's that b******t. Did they win, though? That's that b******t." Teague also noted that one of his former coaches, Mike Budenholzer, used to do the same thing frequently.

Ball has been the Hornets' best player this season, averaging 28.4 points per game on 42.6% from the field and 36.2% from three. He has added 4.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists with 1.5 steals as well, but he only played 24 minutes total.

Ball had missed a few shots after questionable shot selection in the fourth quarter. His final miss came after what the point guard perceived as a foul, and he commited a reach-in foul right after in frustration. That's something Ball has done before in his NBA career, and Lee decided to sit him down after it.

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