Why LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges are set to be the next big duo in the Eastern Conference
LaMelo Ball is an electric point guard, standing at 6'7'' with limitless shooting range and fascinating passing ability, Miles Bridges is an explosive wing who can also hit the three-ball. The Charlotte Hornets are about to hit new levels because of these two guys.
In the NBA you have two legitimate paths to championship contention: You either boast a duo of players who rank within the top-20 players league-wide, or you have a big-3. The better that a duo or trio are, the higher the possibility you have of touching the Larry O'Brien trophy at the end of the season.
Are Lamelo Ball and Miles Bridges top-20 NBA players? Not by a wide margin. Are they both capable of reaching those heights in the coming years? LaMelo Ball - certainly, Miles Bridges - possibly. But what this young duo do have is a well-regarded coach who trusts them to develop and provides them every opportunity to do so.
As a result, Miles Bridges is the reigning Eastern Conference player of the week. LaMelo Ball, too, is already in the conversation as one of the best young guards in the league. Both are getting a taste of the individual recognition their early play deserves. Yet something that's being discussed far less is the budding partnership developing between the two of them. So far this season, LaMelo Ball has 30 assists to his name, with seven of those going directly to Miles Bridges - resulting in 15 points. LaMelo Ball has only found one other roster member with that amount of dimes, big man Mason Plumlee - who you would expect a guard to feed the rock to. Miles Bridges, who is not a facilitator, has nine assists thus far, with three of them going to LaMelo Ball, producing eight points.
The Charlotte Hornets' two young guys are feeding off each other's energy and looking for each other at when running offensive sets together. There's a camaraderie building, one where the skilled LaMelo Ball is generating offense. Meanwhile, the powerfully explosive Miles Bridges is happy to operate as a play finisher - either around the rim or from deep.
Of course, the Charlotte Hornets are more than just the LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges tandem. The efforts of Plumlee and Gordon Hayward are also of huge importance to this team's chances of success. But neither of those two players are projected to be part of the team's core when LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges hit their primes. That's why James Borrego is giving the duo plenty of reps together on the same unit.
“I want him to take the reins of this program. He’s the quarterback, the floor general and for us to take that next step he must run this team, not only on the offensive end but the defensive end as well.” Borrego said of LaMelo Ball during a pre-season press conference.
Do the Charlotte Hornets have a potential future big 3?
The Charlotte Hornets are far from a one or two-man team. They're looking to develop a big three internally. In that case, they should be excited about the potential of adding rookie James Bouknight to their starting rotation once he's ready for an increased role. That jump for the rookie may not come for a year or two, but the speed at which the Charlotte Hornets play will suit his gung-ho offensive style.
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Furthermore, if you look over to the Western Conference, you will see the Minnesota Timberwolves developing their own big three. Karl-Anthony Towns, D'Angelo Russell, and Anthony Edwards - two of whom are home grown talents. While it's rare for draft picks to pan out to the tune of top-20 / top-15 players, LaMelo Ball certainly has that upside, while the jury is still out on Miles Bridges. However, the foundations are in place for a potential leap, we're just not sure how big that leap will be.
Odds are that the Charlotte Hornets will likely continue to develop their young core and then flip any piece they can to build a contender around LaMelo Ball. Whether Miles Bridges is a part of that hypothetical team of the future is down to his continued development. It will boil down to how much him and Ball grow into a duo you can hang your hat on during the playoffs.
It's still far too early to tell if a LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges partnership will become a fearsome duo or foundational pairing in a big-3, but for right now, they're exceptionally fun to watch, and can keep you on the edge of your seat.
Also Read: Who is LaMelo Ball’s girlfriend, Ashlyn Castro?