LaMelo Ball sure looks like the difference: Timberwolves and Hornets trending in opposite directions after trade

We will stipulate that, when it comes to success and struggle in the NBA, the answer is never just one thing. There’s plenty that goes into teams’ fortunes rising and falling, and all sorts of stuff can factor into the difference between living in the penthouse and taking up residence in the outhouse.

With that caveat in place: While the Minnesota Timberwolves were doing this in Minneapolis on Thursday, en route to dismantling the Dallas Mavericks, 133-94 …

… and the Charlotte Hornets were doing this in Phoenix on the same night, en route to a desultory 101-96 defeat …

… it was hard not to note the Just One Thing that seems to be contributing to the difference between Minnesota and Charlotte. Or, rather, the Guy Wearing No. 1.

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After walloping a pretty good Mavs team, the Wolves are 9-3, in third place in the Western Conference, with the NBA’s best net rating. They’ve won five in a row, and six out of eight since losing superstar No. 1 option Anthony Edwards to knee surgery. They’ve outscored their opponents by a total of 161 points this season; according to Justin Kubatko of Statitudes, that’s the largest point differential through 12 games in Wolves franchise history — by 50 points.

After falling in Phoenix, mustering just 96 points against the league’s fourth-worst defense, the Hornets are now 4-8, tied for 10th in the East, with the NBA’s No. 26 net rating. They’ve lost seven of eight, have logged more turnovers than assists four times in 12 games, and have already failed to crack 100 points six times — as many times as Charlotte finished south of the century mark all of last season.

Again: It’s not just that LaMelo Ball used to play for the Hornets, and now he plays for the Wolves. The operating theory for how Charlotte would generate offense in the absence of its one-time linchpin rested largely on continued growth and elevated production from Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel and the re-signed Coby White, with a dash of second-unit contribution from veteran Dennis Schröder. The Hornets have gotten a grand total of 97 minutes thus far from White, who’s on a minutes restriction as he works…

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Author : Dan Devine

Publish date : 2026-11-13 19:38:00

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