Charlotte Hornets wing Brandon Miller loves playing with All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball.
After the Charlotte Hornets blew out the Philadelphia 76ers by 37 points, Brandon Miller was asked to talk about LaMelo Ball.
Ball is one of the most polarizing players in the NBA, but Miller made sure he let Charlotte reporters know how important the one-time All-Star is to the team.
Ball has been in trade rumors this season, but it sounds like Miller doesn't think a LaMelo trade would benefit the Hornets.
That's something Charlotte's brass should take into consideration.
Ball has appeared in 37 games this season. He's averaging 19.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game while shooting 40.6% from the field, 36.1% from beyond the arc and 88.7% from the free-throw line.
Meanwhile, Miller has played in 30 games. He's averaging 20.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest and shooting 43.3% from the floor, 37.1% from 3 and 85.8% from the foul line.
The Hornets are 19-28. They are in 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings but only 3.5 games back of the Atlanta Hawks for the 10th spot. Seeds 7-10 make the NBA play-in tournament.
Charlotte has three talented offensive players in Miller, Ball, Miles Bridges and Kon Knueppel. If Charles Lee's group can improve even just a little bit defensively, the Hornets could be a dangerous team.
The Hornets are 12th in the NBA in points per game allowed and 19th in defensive rating.
Scoring the ball isn't an issue for the Hornets. They are 14th in points per game and seventh in offensive rating.
Charlotte hasn't been to the playoffs since 2016. The franchise made the NBA play-in tournament in 2022. Ball and Co. lost to the Atlanta Hawks and failed to qualify for the 2022 playoffs.
With Ball, Miller, Bridges and Knueppel leading the way, it will be fascinating to see how the Hornets finish this season. Anything can happen in the NBA, but at this point, it would be a surprise to see Ball get traded.
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