Charlotte Hornets: 4 takeaways from 2020-21 season

LaMelo Ball got to experience the postseason in his rookie year and learned some valuable lessons along the way.

LaMelo Ball, who is widely considered the frontrunner to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award, has been everything the Charlotte Hornets needed and much, much more. At only 19 years old, we have seen him take the league by storm and prove exactly why he was worthy of the third overall pick in last year’s draft.

Ball displays offensive creativity that not many players possess in today’s league. He is very unselfish and thrives off of finding his open teammates. He possesses the intangibles that cannot be taught and that’s what makes Ball so special.

The weaknesses in Ball’s game are teachable. We often see him get caught up in the momentum of a game and make a boneheaded play that stalls the offense for a few possessions. In late-game situations, there have been times where Ball has failed to make the “winning” play and instead elects to go for the highlight play.

These are things that will improve over time. You cannot reiterate enough that Ball is only 19 and that his basketball IQ will only improve as he adjusts more to the NBA game. That is why it was so important to have him be exposed to the postseason even if it was only for one game.

While there is no question that Ball struggled in the play-in tournament against the Indiana Pacers (14 points on 4-14 shooting) along with the rest of his teammates, it was the slap in the face that they needed. A top-three draft pick such as Ball won’t find themselves in the postseason in their rookie year often as those picks typically belong to the worst teams in the league.

Nevertheless, Ball was exposed to that playoff intensity. He needed it, and so did his teammates.