The Charlotte Hornets have been one of the NBA's most successful teams this season, and LaMelo Ball recently explained why.
The Charlotte Hornets have been one of the NBA's best stories this season, as they have surged their way into Eastern Conference playoff contention after winning just 19 games the year prior.
A big reason for that has been LaMelo Ball staying healthy for a change.
After playing in 36, 22 and 47 games, respectively, the preceding three campaigns, Ball has managed to stay on the floor for most of 2025-26, appearing in 60 contests while averaging 19.5 points, 7.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game.
Sure, Ball's efficiency (40.4/36.4/89.7 splits) leave something to be desired, but there is no doubt that he has been a driving force behind the Hornets' rise.
But what has been the secret for Charlotte this season?
Ball revealed it during a recent interview posted on the NBA's X account.
“Everybody friends, you know everybody cool, looking out for one another so it’s just all love for real," Ball said. "And you feel like a real family, and if somebody is down we’ll pick them up. And that’s just how we go.”
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball. Credit: Brian Westerholt-Imagn Images.Since starting out 16-28, the Hornets have gone 20-6 over their last 26 games to work their way into the Eastern Conference playoff picture, and it's not like they have just been beating cupcakes, either.
Charlotte owns some very impressive victories throughout this stretch, including a 118-89 drubbing of the Boston Celtics on the road.
Are the Hornets truly ready to make a deep playoff run just yet? Probably not, but the fact that they have made this much progress so quickly is undeniably impressive.
Charlotte boasts an incredibly talented nucleus that headlined by Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel, but also includes players like big men Moussa Diabate and Ryan Kalkbrenner, among others.
The Hornets are definitely one of the last squads any of the top teams in the East would want to see in a first-round playoff series (just ask the Celtics), and they could become serious title contenders with the right moves over the next couple of years.
And clearly, the atmosphere within Charlotte's locker room is terrific, which is a testament to the job head coach Charles Lee has done.
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