By Celso Samson
LOS ANGELES - There's always a buzz when the LA Lakers play at the Crypto.com Arena, formerly known as Staples Center.
But when the purple-and gold franchise hosted the Charlotte Hornets last December 28, there was added electricity in the air with the homecoming of LaMelo Ball, a high school star at Chino Hills who became a YouTube sensation when he scored 92 points in his sophomore year last February 2017.
Much to the frustration of the announced soldout crowd of 19,068, Ball didn't play in the famed arena just 31 miles from where he grew up before taking his act to the NBA.
Without Ball, the Hornets didn't have much sting and were swatted by the Lakers with relative ease, 133-112.
Missing one game in an 82-game season isn't really a big deal. Unfortunately for the Hornets, Ball has already missed 18 this season and it's becoming problematic and concerning all at once, especially when viewed in the prism that he has a long-term deal that will pay him $46.8 million in 2029.
The Hornets aren't a bad team.
They have the pieces that include last June's No. 2 draft pick in Brandon Miller who is scoring 14.9 points a night and hitting 39 percent from 3. Miles Bridges is back from a league-imposed suspension (domestic violence related) and he has averaged 20 points and 7.1 rebounds in 21 games. Veteran Terry Rozier is having a solid season, pitching in 24.1 points and 7.1 assists per in 21 starts.
But Ball is the glue that keeps the Hornets together. Handicapped the 6-foot-7 playmaker's output of 24.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game, Charlotte currently holds an 8-25 won-lost record. At 13th place in the Eastern Conference, the Hornets are not on pace to make the playoffs.
When he was taken by Charlotte as the No.3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Ball was packaged as a dynamic facilator with unlimited shooting range whose razzle and dazzle can fill arena seats.
With already one All-Star appearance to his name, the former NBA Rookie of the Year has proven his worth and the Hornets rewarded him with a massive max contract extension worth $260 million last summer - the biggest payoout in franchise history.
Off the court, Ball also has a $100 million shoe deal with sneaker giant Puma, plus an array of other endorsement deals.
With his talent, court vision and flair for the game, LaMelo can make a run as one of the best point guards in the NBA when he is healthy.
And that's the biggest question mark in his career so far.
Will his ankles hold up and against the rigors of a drawn-out season that begins in October and ends in June?
Only time will tell. But as the saying in sports goes, "availability is the best ability."
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