LaMelo Ball is one of the best young stars in the NBA.
But the Charlotte Hornets point guard has struggled to stay healthy since being selected third overall in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Ball appeared in 22 games last season and averaged 23.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 43.3% from the field and 35.5% from 3-point range.
Ball is in the first year of a mega contract extension and is due to make $35.1 million through the 2024-25 NBA season.
He has five seasons remaining on his contract and is set to be paid more than $200 million.
The contract does not include a player option and he is set to become a free agent in the summer of 2029.
According to StatMuse, Ball’s contract is the largest in Charlotte Hornets history.
LaMelo’s first three seasons:
23.3 Points
6.4 Role-playing
8.4 Australian Time
43/38/83%The biggest contract in franchise history. pic.twitter.com/ZJcHdShqxL
— StatMuse (@statmuse) July 1, 2023
There’s no question that Ball will be worth his contract money if he can stay healthy.
The biggest risk for the Hornets is their 2022 NBA All-Star availability.
In 184 regular season games, he averaged 20.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 42.7% from the field and 37.4% from three-point range.
He has yet to play in the playoffs.
Ah, LaMelo.
(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/Cj6kJgBRgX
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) April 6, 2022
The Hornets finished last season with a 21-61 record, good for 13th place in the Eastern Conference.
They haven’t made the NBA playoffs since the 2016 season (eight years ago) when Kemba Walker was still on the team.