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Charlotte Hornets: Ranking the past 10 ROTY winners

By Jason Huber

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 02: LaMelo Ball #2 of the Charlotte Hornets brings the ball up court against the Miami Heat during their game at Spectrum Center on May 02, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 02: LaMelo Ball #2 of the Charlotte Hornets brings the ball up court against the Miami Heat during their game at Spectrum Center on May 02, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) /
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LaMelo Ball. Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images.
LaMelo Ball. Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images. /

Charlotte Hornets: Which ROTY tier does LaMelo Ball belong in?

After evaluating all three tiers, I think it’s safe to say that LaMelo fits pretty well in tier 2 with Kyrie Irving and Ja Morant’s rookie seasons.

While Ball showed flashes of greatness, he slowly progressed from the start of the season until he received the full trust of head coach James Borrego to be the starting point guard.

What ultimately hurts Ball from being in tier 1 is being limited to just 51 games and his scoring average. He probably could have averaged 20 points per game had he been handed the keys from the beginning of the season and wasn’t limited so much on minutes.

That will certainly change his second season.

While LaMelo Ball made the Hornets better with his distribution of the ball and rebounding ability, he still only had 2.8 win-shares.

Ball did blow away the stat sheet, though, compared to his fellow rookies and that shouldn’t go unnoticed.

However, when comparing this season to the players in tier 1, it just didn’t reach that level.

Next. Charlotte Hornets: 3 Keys that will help Charlotte make the playoffs. dark

That doesn’t mean Ball won’t end up being one of the top players out of these 10. His potential has just been unlocked.

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