NBA Turnovers for Tonight: Which Teams Need to Improve Ball Control?

Tonight’s NBA action brought plenty of excitement—dazzling dunks, deep threes, and dramatic comebacks. But as I settled in with my second-screen stats pulled up, I couldn’t help but notice something that kept popping up across multiple games: turnovers. And not just a few. I’m talking about sloppy passes, offensive fouls, and plain old miscommunication that cost teams precious possessions. Honestly, it reminded me of that sci-fi novel I read recently, MindsEye, where an AI algorithm was supposed to oversee public safety but ended up being just a shallow plot device—never fully explored, never truly impactful. In the same way, some teams tonight treated ball control like a background detail, something to gloss over rather than fix. And in today’s fast-paced, analytics-driven league, that’s a dangerous approach.

Let’s start with the numbers, because they don’t lie. The Charlotte Hornets, for example, coughed up the ball 19 times tonight in their matchup against the Celtics. That’s nearly one-fifth of their possessions gone—just like that. I’ve been tracking turnover stats for a few seasons now, and when you’re giving away that many extra opportunities to a team like Boston, you’re basically handing them the game. And it’s not just Charlotte. Out West, the Sacramento Kings had 17 turnovers against the Warriors. Now, I’ve always had a soft spot for the Kings—they play with flair, they push the tempo—but man, when they get careless, it hurts to watch. Turnovers aren’t just numbers on a stat sheet; they shift momentum, deflate a team’s energy, and honestly, they’re preventable more often than not.

What strikes me is how much this mirrors the underdeveloped themes in MindsEye. The book introduced this idea of an AI managing public safety—something that feels incredibly relevant today—but then just… dropped it. No depth, no real exploration. In the NBA, ball security is a bit like that unexplored theme. Coaches talk about it in press conferences, analysts mention it in post-game breakdowns, but how many teams are genuinely drilling it day in and day out? I remember a conversation I had with a former assistant coach last year. He told me most teams spend less than 10% of practice time specifically on turnover prevention drills. They focus on shooting, defensive schemes, conditioning—all important, sure—but if you’re giving up 15+ turnovers a game, you’re undermining everything else.

Take the New York Knicks, for instance. Tonight they had 16 turnovers against the Heat. I rewatched the fourth quarter this evening, and three of those came in the last five minutes—all unforced errors. One was an errant pass from Jalen Brunson that sailed out of bounds. Another was a traveling violation by Julius Randle when the game was within three points. These aren’t mistakes forced by elite defense; they’re lapses in focus. And in a league where margins are razor-thin—where a single possession can decide a playoff series—that lack of discipline is baffling. I’ve always believed that the best teams treat every possession like gold. The Spurs under Popovich, the Warriors during their championship runs—they rarely beat themselves. You had to earn every bucket against them.

Now, I’m not saying every turnover is a disaster. Some are the price of playing an aggressive, up-tempo style. The Lakers, for example, had 14 turnovers tonight, but they also forced 18 from their opponents. That’s a trade-off I can live with. But when your turnover differential is negative by four or five—like it was for the Hornets and Kings—you’re digging yourself a hole. And here’s where the MindsEye comparison really hits home for me. The novel presented this powerful concept—AI in law enforcement—but never dug into the implications. Similarly, some teams seem to acknowledge the importance of ball control but never invest the mental focus or practice time to improve it. It’s like they assume it’ll just work itself out. But in reality, it requires intentional, consistent effort.

I looked back at some historical data while writing this, and the correlation between turnovers and winning is stronger than a lot of people realize. Over the past five seasons, teams that average fewer than 12 turnovers per game have won nearly 60% of their matches. That’s a significant edge. Yet, how many front offices prioritize acquiring low-turnover players? How many coaches design offensive sets specifically to minimize risky passes? From what I’ve seen, not enough. It’s the NBA’s version of that unchecked military power in MindsEye—a looming issue that doesn’t get the attention it deserves until it’s too late.

So, what’s the fix? Well, from my perspective, it starts with changing the culture around possessions. I’d love to see teams track “turnover chains” like the Miami Hurricanes did in college football—something visual and immediate that holds players accountable. I also think point guards need to take more ownership. Chris Paul, for example, has built a Hall of Fame career largely because of his insane assist-to-turnover ratio. Young guards should be studying his film relentlessly. And coaches? They should be running more five-on-five drills where turnovers result in immediate consequences—sprints, fines, whatever it takes to build that muscle memory.

As tonight’s games wrap up, I’m left thinking about the teams that struggled with ball control. The Hornets, the Kings, the Knicks—they all have the talent to compete, but until they tighten up their handles and sharpen their decision-making, they’ll remain on the outside looking in. It’s a lot like that disappointing feeling I had reading MindsEye—so much potential, so many interesting ideas, but without the depth or focus to make them truly impactful. In the NBA, as in storytelling, the details matter. And right now, for these teams, the turnover detail is one they can’t afford to ignore any longer.