LaMelo

Ball

Five was the number of the night for Ball, with three of the four statistical categories in which he hit that number being positive. The Hornets’ guard was responsible for five rebounds, five assists, five three-pointers...and five turnovers. By now, fantasy managers know to expect high-turnover nights from Ball, but the five on Saturday were the most in a game for him since December 31. However, Ball has been a top-25 player in eight-cat formats over the past two weeks, so turnovers aren’t going to cause too much stress among fantasy managers.

After coming off the bench in Thursday’s loss to the Pacers, as it was the second game in as many nights for the Hornets, Ball is back in the starting lineup. Collin Sexton will come off the bench, lowering his fantasy ceiling. The other four starters are unchanged, with Ryan Kalkbrenner coming off the bench in his first game back from an elbow injury.

With Thursday’s game being the second in as many nights for the Hornets, the training staff altered its approach to Ball’s minutes. He was brought off the bench against the Pacers, but that did not negatively affect the point guard’s production early on. Ball scored 11 points in each of the first three quarters, and the 33 points were two more than what he produced in his prior two appearances combined. If Thursday’s approach is the one that Charlotte takes with future back-to-backs, that would be good news for managers who have Ball on their fantasy rosters.

Sexton enters the starting lineup for LaMelo Ball, who will come off the bench for the first time all season. The Hornets are on the second game of a back-to-back and will look to rebound from a one-point loss to the Raptors on Wednesday.

Ball was upgraded from probable to available, giving the Hornets their starting point for Thursday’s contest. Ball’s minutes will be on the second night of a back-to-back after recording a 15/7/7 line in the loss to the Raptors on Wednesday. Ball is averaging just 15.0 points and 5.8 assists across four games in January. Fantasy managers will hope the former third-overall pick can find his groove.

Ball has not missed a game since December 14th, and it seems likely he will play in both games of a back-to-back. He’s averaging 19.3 points, 5.7 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals over his last two weeks, which has made him a top-50 player in fantasy basketball.

Ball has scored at least 22 points in five of his last six games. The story with the 24-year-old point guard Monday has been the same for most of the season. Ball had a good game with 26 points, seven assists and six three-points, but also had six turnovers. It’s his second game in a row with six turnovers and third time he’s had six turnovers in a game this month. Ball is averaging 3.8 turnovers per game in December. It’s been a drag on his value in nine-category leagues.

Ball was just 4-of-12 shooting early on, finishing with 12 points in the first half. He managed to turn things around down the home stretch, reaching the 20-point plateau for the fourth time in five games since returning from a brief three-game absence back on December 18. The 24-year-old all-around threat is averaging 19.7 points, 5.4 assists, 8.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.3 blocks over 21 games this season, delivering seventh-round value for fantasy purposes. The Hornets, who have won four of their last five games, are back in action on Monday when they face the Bucks to open a busy four-game week.

The story hasn’t changed with Ball, who remains one of the fantasy landscape’s most dynamic offensive catalysts when healthy. Availability continues to be the lingering question, but he’s delivered steady production when on the floor, averaging 19.6 points and 8.7 assists through 20 games for roughly sixth-round fantasy value. Encouragingly, he’s appeared in four straight contests without issue after missing three games earlier this month with a bone bruise in his left ankle.

Ball enjoyed one of his more efficient offensive performances of the season, shooting 50 percent from the field while committing three turnovers. The Hornets guard finished one assist shy of a double-double, which would have been his seventh of the season. As long as he can remain healthy, Ball can be a valuable option for managers competing in eight-cat leagues or punting turnovers.