As good as he is, as young as he is and as promising as he is, Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball needs to get better if his team is going to go anywhere.
No matter who the Hornets’ next coach turns out to be — and a new one will likely be hired in the next seven to 14 days — his first task will be coaxing more out of Ball.
Melo is the foundation of this team and already an NBA All-Star. He’s often extraordinary. But he’s also 20 years old, and he sometimes makes the sort of decisions on a basketball court an ordinary 20-year-old would make.