CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kelly Oubre was describing the nuances of drawing contact on drives to the basket when he took a peek to his right and noticed LaMelo Ball waiting nearby.
“I think it’s just that refs see how we look, you know what I mean?” the Charlotte Hornets swingman said with a smile Tuesday while looking slyly in Ball’s direction. “They are like, ‘They are pretty boys, man. They’ll be all right. They can take a little beating.’ But man, we be getting fouled more than anybody else. It’s just what it is.”
Oubre chuckled, enjoying a fun moment following the Hornets’ first training camp practice leading into Sunday’s preseason opener in Boston. Jokes aside, Oubre’s observation is something to keep a watchful eye on in Ball’s third NBA season.
Ball raised his game to another level in his second year, riding an improved statistical wave on the way to earning All-Star honors. He averaged 20.1 points, 7.6 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, shooting 38.9% from 3-point range. He took a year-over-year leap in each of those categories.
But one area in particular remained unchanged for Ball: free-throw attempts. Ball unleashed just 3.2 attempts per game, matching the exact number of times he got to the line in each of the 51 games he appeared in during his rookie season.
Considering he knocked down 87.2% of his free throws — a big improvement from the 75.8% showing in 2020-21 — imagine if Ball mustered a few additional shots from the line per game.
“If you want to look at his offensive efficiency, there are a couple things that are not major, major things that he knows he can do,” coach Steve Clifford said. “For instance, he is terrific at getting to the rim and does not get fouled a lot. That is one of the things that we have watched film on.
“And, to be honest, if he can attempt three more free throws per game, that would be a game-changer for him and for our team.”
Ball doesn’t disagree that it could benefit in a variety of ways.
“Yeah, it helps a lot,” he said. “I feel like any time you go to the free throw line, you are just shooting the ball. So, it helps on every shot.”
The Hornets have Ball working with an ex-NBA official to help him figure out some of the things referees are searching for while determining fouls on a certain play. They’ve mostly interacted through phone calls so far, going over some game footage from this past season and a few of their summer five-on-five scrimmages to visualize how he might’ve earned a whistle.
“Throughout the whole process of what you could have done better or what you did good,” Ball said, “everything just helps to know.”
Besides utilizing those film sessions, Ball is also working closely with Hornets assistant coach Marlon Garnett, the same person who gets him tuned up and ready during pregame warmups.
Garnett is advising Ball on the art of drawing fouls, delivering subtleties the slick-dribbling speedster can incorporate into his repertoire. It could be another useful tool, one Ball can pull out of his arsenal while staying under control.
The possibility isn’t lost on Clifford, who’s been impressed with Ball during their short time together since the coach began his second tour with the Hornets in June.
“He goes to the free-throw line three more times a game, he’s going to be at 23 (points),” Clifford said. “The free throw is the most efficient shot in the game. That’s not a big adjustment. Draw contact a little more, jump stop. I think guys do that a lot, especially the elite players — they concentrate on getting to the free throw line more. They don’t have to adjust much about the way they play.
“We’re not saying, ‘Take less pull-ups, take more threes.’ That’s when you have to change your game. What I’m talking about is, he really doesn’t have to change anything much about the way he plays at all.”
Just consider it another part of the on-court maturation process for the 21-year-old.
“Pretty much, be more aggressive,” Ball said. “Just attack, pick and choose your spots when you could attack.”
