LaMelo Ball’s six-season run in Charlotte ended this summer when the Minnesota Timberwolves landed him in a four-team trade. The deal was agreed to on June 25 and finalized on July 10. Josh Green joined Ball in Minnesota, while the Hornets received Naz Reid and a package of draft picks. Ball now shares the court with Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert on a Timberwolves team that has reached the Western Conference Finals in 2024 and 2025 before falling to the San Antonio Spurs in the second round last season.
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Ahead of Minnesota’s season opener, Ball joined ESPN’s Inside the NBA, where Ernie Johnson asked what he hoped to achieve this season. Rather than naming a target, Ball described his approach.
“I don’t really throw expectations on nothing,” Ball said. “I just go out there and give it my all. Try to be the best we could be and let that be where it’s at.”
His response prompted Shaquille O’Neal to question whether the guard was setting his sights high enough for a team with championship ambitions.
“His mindset needs to change. I was kind of baffled by that answer. Like you at least say playoffs or something, but expectation for them is to win a championship. You got a guy that if he plays well, he will be talked about as MVP,” O’Neal said.
The MVP reference was about Edwards, who leads Minnesota’s offense. O’Neal also discussed the importance of the supporting cast and Gobert’s defensive contributions when explaining why the Timberwolves could compete in the Western Conference.
“And if everything else goes well, their role players, Rudy playing good defense and having, you know, one or two breakout games, they have a chance to make some noise in the West, but you know, he needs to change his mindset,” O’Neal added.
Shaq might have a point there, given Ball’s history in the league. Despite his All-Star talent, Ball has never played in a playoff game. Charlotte’s loss to the Orlando Magic in the Play-In Tournament this past April kept him out of the postseason again, and he finished his six seasons with the Hornets without a playoff appearance.
The Timberwolves, on the other hand, have become a Western Conference powerhouse in the past three seasons and reached deep in the playoffs. They traded for Ball to get over that hump, not just to get there again and get bounced out.
For a player of his quality, entering that kind of an environment, O’Neal wanted him to say the goal out loud.
The two approaches are different. Ball focused on effort and letting results follow, while O’Neal wanted him to publicly embrace the championship expectations that come with Minnesota’s roster.
The Timberwolves began their season with a 131-106 win over the Miami Heat. Ball finished with 21 points, six assists, and two rebounds, while Edwards led the way with 45 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists. ‘Ant-Man’ also made nine three-pointers. Miami’s Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 35 points.
Ball sounded more positive and ambitious after the game, at least about his new partnership.
“I feel like I got the best shooting guard in the world,” he said of Edwards. “Like I said, we’re ready.”
O’Neal’s comments came in the discussion before the game, so Minnesota’s victory should not be treated as a direct response to his criticism. The larger question is whether Ball and the Timberwolves can turn their potential into the kind of sustained success that justifies the championship expectations O’Neal described.